Study of Jainism

Author(s): T G Kalghatgi
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

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Study of Jainism
asking them to come and accept his authority. They were sad and disgusted with this way of approach by their own brother. They went to Rşabhadeva, and offered themselves to renounce the world and become pravrajas (ascetics) But Bahubali was strong, handsome, upright in his behaviour and unyielding to unjustified authority. He was called Gommatadeva. He said to the emissary “O noble one, you have brought the message from the king Bharata. If your Cakravartin were to send for me as a brother to a brother I would have gladly gone and met him. But your Cakravartin is an ambitious man and ambition is made of sterner stuff; it knows no bounds. He wants me to surrender to him. Go and tell your master I would rather meet him on the battle field and ask him to be prepared for the fight and the two armies met at the outskirts of Poudanapura. They were ready to fight and poised against each other, waiting to pounce on each other. This was a dangerous situation. The loss of life would be enoromous. Thousands of innocent soldiers would sacrifice their lives at the alter of the ambition of the Emperor and the sturdy fanatical resistence of the equally powerful Bahubali. The wiser among the ministers on both sides thought that it would be prudent to request the two powerful kings to face each other singly and to decide their respective superiority. They suggested three forms of duel (dvandvayuddha); i) Dşști yuddha, (staring steadly at each other without a wink), ii) Jala yuddha (splashing enoromous quantity of water against each other) and iii) Bahuyuddha (wrestling) 65.
Acarya Jinadasagani has mentioned wag yuddha as an additional form of duels.86 The fierce duel started, and in every form of duel Bahubali had the upper hand In the wrestling (Bahu yuddha) Bahubali lifted his brother, held him high and was about throw him down, when it dawned on him that it was wrong on his part to treat his elder brother who is also the Emperor in such slight manner. He brought him down slowly and kept him on the ground. There is also a description that Bharata being enraged, and burning with the desire for revenge due to humuliation, set forth the cakraratna against Bahubali. But this was injustice and not in keeping with the rules of the game. The spectators shouted "O injustice has been done”: But, strange to say the cakraratna, which the audiance expected to cut the head of the Bahubali, went