Sudha Sagar Hindi English Jaina Dictionary

Author(s): Rameshchandra Jain
Publisher: Gyansagar Vagarth Vimarsh Kendra Byavar

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that upto Jambūsvāmi, there is unanimity between Digambara and Sveta mbar atraditions. Thereafter, the svetambara tradition gives the name of Prabhava, Svayambhava, Sambhūtivijayaand Bhadrabā hu while the Digambara tradition mentions the names of Visnu, Nandi, Apā rajita, Govardhana and Bhadrabā hu. These are called the Sruta Kevalins who did not attain omniscience like their three predecessors. It is an outstanding event of history that it was this Bhadrabā hu who was the Guru of Candragupta of the Maurya dynasty who migrated to the south along with his 12000 disciples as he sensed a famine of terrible severity. Candra- gupta also accompanied his Guru and the inscriptions at Sravanabelgolā and elsewhere bear ample testimony to this great event in the spread of Jainism in southern parts of India. Candragupta became a Jaina ascetic after abdicating his throne in 297 B.C. and died twelve years later at Śravanabelgolā after adopting the vow of Sallekhanā. Helat a FIT - After Pārsvanā tha, Mahā vira became the leader of the Jaina Church. The religion preached by Mahāvira was substantially the same as preached by his predecessor Pārsvanā tha. It is said that Mahāvīra added Brahmacarya (i.e., Chastity, perhaps already included in Aparigraha) as the fifth great vow to the four great vows already preached by Pārsvanā tha. Mahāvi ra continued further the prac-
tice fourfold division of the community and it is stated that at the time of his death there were 14000 yatis, 36000 Sadhvis, 159000 Śrā vakas and318000 Sravikas. Maha vira had in all eleven Ganadharas. They were all religious teachers well versed in Jaina scriptures. After the nirvāna of Mahāvīra, the fifth Ganadhara Sudharman became the head of the Jaina Church, others either having attained Salvation or Kevalinship (i.e. omniscience) before the death of Mahāvira. Sudharman is said to have narrated the Jaina canon to his disciple Jambusvā miin the manner he had heard from his master. The Nirgrantha Sraman as of the present time are all spiritual descendants of the monk Arya Sudharman, the rest of the Ganadharas having left no descendents. J - 47-48 During the lifetime of Mahā vi ra the spread of Jainism was limited and Jainism did not seem generally to have crossed the boundaries of the kingdoms of Anga and Magadha, comprising modern Bihār, Orissa and Western Bengāl, where the teacher mainly lived and concentrated his attention, but after the nirvana of Mahā vi ra, his successors and followers succeeded to a large extent in popularising the faith throughout the length and breadth of India, so that it did not fail to enlist for a long period the supportof kings as well as of commoners. As the number of adherents to the Jaina religion fast increased and as they were scattered practically in all parts of the country, the Ganadharas and religious pontiffs must have found it very difficult to look after and organise