Acharya Bhadrabahu
Encyclopedia
Acharya Bhadrabahu was a Jain monk. He is more famously known as a spiritual teacher of Chandragupta Maurya
and author of several texts related to Jainism, including some of the most important works, Upsargahara Stotra
and Kalpasutra
.
Bhadrabahu was born in Pundravardhana
, (now in Bangladesh
). During this time, the secondary capital of the Mauryas was Ujjain
. While there Bhadrabahu was able to foresee through his nimitta jnan (subtle cognition of causes and effects) that there would be a 12-year famine across North India. He decided the famine would make it harder for monks to survive and migrated with a group of monks to South India, bringing with him Chandragupta
, the founder of the Mauryan Empire turned Jain monk.
convened a council to recompile the Purva scriptures. However, because Sthulabhadra’s own knowledge of these texts was imperfect, he went to Bhadrabahu to study the sections missing from his memory.
Bhadrabahu taught Sthulabhadra, but forbade him to teach the Purva to others upon witnessing a demonstration by Sthulabhadra of certain extra corporal powers, which suggested that with time these sacred scriptures would become corrupted. Thus, the 14 Purvas in their original form perished with these two men.
Bhadrabahu remains an exemplar of dedication to first principles at any
cost. After him, the Sangha
split into two separate teacher-student lineages of monks. Digambar monks belong to the lineage of Acharya Vishakha and Shvetambar monks follow the tradition of Sthulabhadra. Bhadrabahu composed some new texts as well. In the Shvetambar tradition, Brihatkalpa, Vyavahara, and Nisitha are considered his works.
Bhadrabahu is considered to be the last expert of 14 Purvas, of 12th Anga
called Dristivaad, one of the scriptures of Jainism. Of these, 10 Purvas were passed on to Sthulibhadra, his chief disciple. Bhadrabahu went to Nepal for twelve years to perform the "Mahaprana Sadhana" a Yogic/meditative exercise.
According to the Digambara
s, he died following Sallekhana.
Acharya Bhadrabahu had a brother named Varāhamihira
. Both were in the same kingdom. When a son was born to the king, Varahmihira declared that he would live for a hundred years but Bhadrabahu declared that he would live for only seven days, and that he would be killed by a cat. On the eighth day the prince died because of a door's anklet falling on his head which had a picture of cat drawn on it. Due to this humiliation Varāhamihira
left the kingdom and died after some time.
After his death Varāhamihira
became a Vyantar(a type of deva or demigod who are mostly evil) and tortured and terrorized the Jains, especially disciples and followers of Bhadrabahu. Acharya Bhadrabahu then formed a mantric prayer to 23rd Jain Tirthankara Parshvanath called the Upsargahara Stotra
(also known as Uvassagaharam Stotra) and called upon Dharnendra, the divine follower (a "devta") of Parshvanath. As an effect of it, Varahmihira was defeated and Jain society was relieved. That mantric prayer is still famous among the Jains and they chant it with due respect and faith. And that prayer had made Bhadrabahu's name immortal among Jain ascetics.
Chandragupta Maurya
Chandragupta Maurya , was the founder of the Maurya Empire. Chandragupta succeeded in conquering most of the Indian subcontinent. Chandragupta is considered the first unifier of India and its first genuine emperor...
and author of several texts related to Jainism, including some of the most important works, Upsargahara Stotra
Upsargahara Stotra
Upsargahara Stotra is a stotra or Jain chant created by Acharya Bhadrabahu. It is also known as Uvassagaharam Stotra derived from the first word in the stotra. Upsargahar Stotra is recited in the praise of 23rd Jain tirthankar Parshwanath bhagwan....
and Kalpasutra
Kalpasutra (Jain)
The Kalpa Sūtra is a Jain text containing the biographies of the Jain Tirthankaras, most notably Parshvanath and Mahavira, including the latter's Nirvana...
.
Early life
Pundravardhana
This article is about the historical territory. For the Mahabharata kingdom see Pundra KingdomPundravardhana , was a territory located in North Bengal in ancient times, home of the Pundra, a group of people speaking languages not of the Indo-European family.-Etymology:There are several theories...
, (now in Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
). During this time, the secondary capital of the Mauryas was Ujjain
Ujjain
Ujjain , is an ancient city of Malwa region in central India, on the eastern bank of the Kshipra River , today part of the state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the administrative centre of Ujjain District and Ujjain Division.In ancient times the city was called Ujjayini...
. While there Bhadrabahu was able to foresee through his nimitta jnan (subtle cognition of causes and effects) that there would be a 12-year famine across North India. He decided the famine would make it harder for monks to survive and migrated with a group of monks to South India, bringing with him Chandragupta
Chandragupta Maurya
Chandragupta Maurya , was the founder of the Maurya Empire. Chandragupta succeeded in conquering most of the Indian subcontinent. Chandragupta is considered the first unifier of India and its first genuine emperor...
, the founder of the Mauryan Empire turned Jain monk.
Career
While Bhadrabahu was away the monks staying in the North realized that the sacred scriptures were being forgotten. A monk named SthulabhadraSthulabhadra
Sthulabhadra was a disciple of Acharya Bhadrabahu. The Swetambar tradition of Jainism trace their lineage through Sthulabhadra.He was a son of the Nanda's minister Sakadala. He became a disciple of Sambhutavijaya. Later he became a disciple of Bhadrabahu to learn the Purvas...
convened a council to recompile the Purva scriptures. However, because Sthulabhadra’s own knowledge of these texts was imperfect, he went to Bhadrabahu to study the sections missing from his memory.
Bhadrabahu taught Sthulabhadra, but forbade him to teach the Purva to others upon witnessing a demonstration by Sthulabhadra of certain extra corporal powers, which suggested that with time these sacred scriptures would become corrupted. Thus, the 14 Purvas in their original form perished with these two men.
Bhadrabahu remains an exemplar of dedication to first principles at any
cost. After him, the Sangha
Sangha
Sangha is a word in Pali or Sanskrit that can be translated roughly as "association" or "assembly," "company" or "community" with common goal, vision or purpose...
split into two separate teacher-student lineages of monks. Digambar monks belong to the lineage of Acharya Vishakha and Shvetambar monks follow the tradition of Sthulabhadra. Bhadrabahu composed some new texts as well. In the Shvetambar tradition, Brihatkalpa, Vyavahara, and Nisitha are considered his works.
Bhadrabahu is considered to be the last expert of 14 Purvas, of 12th Anga
Anga
Anga was a kingdom that flourished on the eastern Indian subcontinent in the 6th century BCE until taken over by Magadha in the same century. Counted among the "sixteen great nations" in Buddhist texts like the Anguttara Nikaya, Anga also finds mention in the Jain Vyakhyaprajnapti’s list of...
called Dristivaad, one of the scriptures of Jainism. Of these, 10 Purvas were passed on to Sthulibhadra, his chief disciple. Bhadrabahu went to Nepal for twelve years to perform the "Mahaprana Sadhana" a Yogic/meditative exercise.
According to the Digambara
Digambara
Digambara "sky-clad" is one of the two main sects of Jainism. "Sky-clad" has many different meaning and associations throughout Indian religions. Many representations of deities within these traditions are depicted as sky-clad, e.g. Samantabhadra/Samantabhadrī in Yab-Yum...
s, he died following Sallekhana.
Acharya Bhadrabahu had a brother named Varāhamihira
Varāhamihira
Varāhamihira , also called Varaha or Mihira, was an Indian astronomer, mathematician, and astrologer who lived in Ujjain...
. Both were in the same kingdom. When a son was born to the king, Varahmihira declared that he would live for a hundred years but Bhadrabahu declared that he would live for only seven days, and that he would be killed by a cat. On the eighth day the prince died because of a door's anklet falling on his head which had a picture of cat drawn on it. Due to this humiliation Varāhamihira
Varāhamihira
Varāhamihira , also called Varaha or Mihira, was an Indian astronomer, mathematician, and astrologer who lived in Ujjain...
left the kingdom and died after some time.
After his death Varāhamihira
Varāhamihira
Varāhamihira , also called Varaha or Mihira, was an Indian astronomer, mathematician, and astrologer who lived in Ujjain...
became a Vyantar(a type of deva or demigod who are mostly evil) and tortured and terrorized the Jains, especially disciples and followers of Bhadrabahu. Acharya Bhadrabahu then formed a mantric prayer to 23rd Jain Tirthankara Parshvanath called the Upsargahara Stotra
Upsargahara Stotra
Upsargahara Stotra is a stotra or Jain chant created by Acharya Bhadrabahu. It is also known as Uvassagaharam Stotra derived from the first word in the stotra. Upsargahar Stotra is recited in the praise of 23rd Jain tirthankar Parshwanath bhagwan....
(also known as Uvassagaharam Stotra) and called upon Dharnendra, the divine follower (a "devta") of Parshvanath. As an effect of it, Varahmihira was defeated and Jain society was relieved. That mantric prayer is still famous among the Jains and they chant it with due respect and faith. And that prayer had made Bhadrabahu's name immortal among Jain ascetics.