________________
Chapter 1.
PRELUDE
The arhat Rşabha of Košala had eighty-four gaṇas and eightyfour ganadharas. 1 The arhat Rşabha of Kośala had a community of surpassing worth [consisting] of eighty-four thousand śramaņas with Rşabhasena at their head. The arhat Rşabha of Košala had a community of surpassing worth (consisting] of three hundred thousand äryikās with Brāhmi and Sundari at their head.2 The arhat Ariştanemi had eighteen ganas and eighteen ganadharas. The arhat Ariştanemi had a community of surpassing worth (consisting] of eighteen thousand śramaņas with Varadatta at their head.
I Gaņa: a group of ascetics; ganadhara: lit. the support of the group, its head. Each chapter of this part begins with some verses of the KS. This listing of numbers may at first sight appear tedious, but it is important because of the profound veneration which surrounds the KS. The more familiar one becomes with the names of the tirtharkaras and their disciples within the context of their own tradition, the more lively these passages become and one discovers their underlying interconnections.
2 Usabhassa ņam arahao kosaliyassa caurāsiti gaņā caurāsiis ganaharā hotthā. Usabhassa...Usabhasenapamokkhão caurāsiim samaņasāhassio ukkosiyā samanasampayā hotthā. Usabhassa... BambhiSumdaripāmokkhāņaṁ ajjiyanaṁ tiņņi sayasāhassio ukkosiyā ajjiyāsampayā hutthā. KS 197.
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
