“Years later Kunala came to
Ashoka's court dressed as a minstrel and when he greatly pleased the king
by his music, the king wanted to reward him. At this the minstrel was
Prince Kunala and he was demanding his inheritance. Ashoka sadly objected
that being blind Kunala never could ascend the throne. Thereupon the
latter said that he claimed the kingdom not for himself but for his son.
"When", cried the king, "has a son been born to you?" "Just now Samprati)
was the answer. Samprati accordingly was the name given to Kunala's son,
and though a baby in arms, he was anointed Ashoka's successor, after whose
demise he ascended the throne and became a powerful monarch. Samprati was
a staunch Jain".
Hemachandra then describes the manner in which the ten Purvas were
preserved by Sthulabhadra. The principal character in this famous incident
was Bhadrabahu, and as Bhadrabahu died 170 years after the Nirvana of
Mahavira, i.e. fifteen years after the accession of Chandragupta, it is
clear that the incident described below happened during the reign of
Chandragupta.
Sthulabhadra learns the Purvas from Bhadrabahu
"A dreadful dearth prevailing about this time forced the monks to emigrate
as far as the seaside. During these unsettled times they neglected their
regular studies, so that the sacred lore was on the point of falling into
oblivion. The Sangha, therefore, reassembling at Pataliputra when the
famine was over, collected the fragments of the canon which the monks
happened to recollect, and in this way brought together eleven Angas. In
order to recover the Drishtivada,the Sangha sent monks to Bhadrabahu in
Nepal commanding him to join the Council. Bhadrabahu, however, declined to
come, as he had undertaken the Mahaprana vow, which it would take 12 years
to carry out; but after that period he would in a short time teach the
whole of the Drishtivada. Upon receiving the answer, the Sangha again
dispatched two monks to ask Bhadrabahu what penalty he who disobeyed the
Sangha incurred. If he should answer excommunication, then they should
reply that such was his punishment. Everything coming about as foreseen,
Bhadrabahu requested some clever monks to whom he would daily deliver
seven lessons at suitable time. Accordingly 500 monks with Sthulabhadra as
their leader, were sent to Bhadrabahu. But all of them except Sthulabhadra,
becoming tired by the slowness of their progress, soon fell off;
Sthulabhadra alone stayed out the whole term of his master's vow. At the
end of it he had learned the first ten Purvas.(IX, 55-76)
Sthulabhadra and Bhadrabahu, it appears, then went back to Pataliputra.
Sthulabhadra had seven sisters. These sisters of Sthulabhadra paying their
reverence to Bhadrabahu after his arrival in Pataliputra, asked him where
their brother stayed, and were directed to some temple. On their approach
Sthulabhadra transferred himself into a lion, in order to gratify his
sisters with the sight of a miracle. Of course the frightened girls ran
back to their guru to tell him that a lion had devoured their brother.
Bhadrabahu however assured them that their brother was alive, and so they
found him on their return to the temple".
"When his sisters had left Sthulabhadra, he went to Bhadrabahu for his
daily lesson. But the latter refused to teach him any more, as he had
become unworthy of it. Sthulabhadra then replied that he remembered no sin
since his ordination, but being reminded by him of what he had done, he
fell at his feet and implored his forgiveness. Bhadrabahu, however, would
not take up his instruction. Even the whole Sangha could only with great
difficulty overcome his reluctance. He at last consented to teach
Sthulabhadra the rest of the Purvas on the condition only that they (viz.
He should not hand down the last four Purvas) to anybody else. On
Bhadrabahu's death, 170 years after Mahavira's Nirvana, Sthulabhadra
became the head of the Church.)(IX,101- 113).
Mahagiri & Suhastin
"Sthulabhadra had two disciples, Mahagiri and Suhastin. As Yaksarya
brought them up,5 the word arya was prefixed to their names. Sthulabhadra
taught them the ten Purvas, for the last four Purvas he was forbidden to
teach. After their teacher's decease they succeeded to his
place."(X,36-40)
"After some time, Mahagiri made over his disciples to Suhastin and lived
as a Jinakalpika, though the Jina Kalpa had by that time fallen into
disuse."(XI,1-4)
Hemchandra had stated earlier that Jina Kalpa was abandoned after Jambu.
Does Mahagiri's acceptance of Jina Kalpa signify the break up of the Jain
Church into the two sects Digambara and Shvetambara? This does not appear
to be the case, for Mahagiri's name does not figure in any list of
sthaviras of the Digambras. Also, Hemacandra's statement that Mahagiri had
handed over his disciples to Suhastin is perhaps not correct , for Nandi
Sutra, a Svetambra text gives the succession list6 of Mahagiri's
disciples, and this list is completely different from the list of
successors of Suhastin given in the Kalpa Sutra.
In other words, when Mahagiri started living as a Jina Kalpa, he either
had not made over his disciples to Suhastin, or if he had done so, then he
might have had picked up a new group of disciples later. One thing is
clear: Mahagiri's successors did not leave many impresses on the history
of Jainism. Except for the Nandi Sutra list, their names have practically
disappeared. As stated earlier the only one whose name occurs in the
legends composed in the later times was Mangu.
Spread of Jainism
Buddhism had spread all over India and to some places outside India due to
the missionary efforts of Ashoka. A similar role in the case of Jainism
was played, according to Hemachandra, by Ashoka's grandson Samprati.
Hemachandra continues.
"The king (Samprati) looking up to Suhastin as his greatest benefactor,
was converted by him to the true faith, and hence forth strictly performed
all duties enjoined to the laity. He further showed his zeal by causing
Jina Temples to be erected over the whole of Jambudvipa". (XI, 55-65)
“The example and advice of Samprati induced his vassals to embrace and
patronize his creed, so that not only in his own kingdom, but also in the
adjacent countries, the monks could practice their religion.”
"In order to extend the sphere of their activity to uncivilized countries,
Samprati sent there messengers disguised as Jain monks. They described to
the people the kind of good and other requisites which monks accept as
alms, enjoining them to give such things instead of the usual taxes to the
revenue collectors who would visit them from time to time. Of course,
these revenue collectors were to be Jain monks. Having thus prepared the
way for them, he induced the Superior to send monks to these countries,
for they would find it in no way impossible to live there. Accordingly,
missionaries were sent to the Andras and Dramilas, who found everything as
the king had told. Thus the uncivilized nations were brought under the
influence of Jainism". (XI, 89- 102)
"Such was the religious Zeal of the king (Samprati) that he ordered the
merchants to give the monks gratis all things they should ask for, and to
draw on the royal treasury for the value of the goods. It may be imagined
that the merchants did not hesitate to obey the king's order". (XI,
103-112).
All this necessarily had a corrupting effect on the Jain monks, and
Mahagiri, the ascetic-minded patriarch protested. Hemachandra continues:
"Although the alms with which the monks were supplied are expressly
forbidden by the rules of the Church, Suhastin, afraid to offend the
zealous king, dared not make any opposition. Mahagiri, therefore, severely
blamed Suhastin, and resolved definitely to separate from him. For as he
said, there was an old prophecy that after Sthulabhadra, the conduct of
the Jains would deteriorate. Accordingly after saluting the image of
Jivantasvamin, he left Avanti and went to the Tirtha Gajendrapada. There,
starving himself to death, he reached Svarga. Samprati dying at the end of
his reign, during which he continued a patron of the Jains, became a God
and at last he will reach Siddhi". (XI, 113-127)
The Temple of Mahakala in Ujjayini
There was a merchant's son called Avantisukvmala. Once he heard the
preaching of Suhastin and was thus greatly attracted towards Jainism. He
became a monk, but as he was of a delicate constitution, he could not
stand the rigor and died while starving. His son built a magnificent
temple at the spot where his father so manfully had faced death. This
temple is still famous in the world as the temple of Mahakala.
(Hemachandra does not say so specifically, but the implication clearly is
that this temple was originally a Jain temple, and was later converted
into a Hindu temple by the Shaivites. In the thirteenth century (AD 1234)
Iltutmish destroyed this temple. Ramchandra, Diwan of the Peshwa built the
present temple of Mahakala on the same site, in 1745.)
"In the course of time Suhastin left this world starving himself to death,
and entered heaven". (XI.176-178)
Hemachandra then leaves out the next four patriarchs from Suhastin onwards
are as follows: 8 Suhastin. 9 Susthita- Supratibuddha. 10 Indra. 11 Dinna.
12 Sinhagiri. 13 Vajra.
Hemachandra does not mention Susthita, Indra and Dinna at all, and
mentions Sinhagiri only as the guru of Vajra.
Vajra was the son of Dhanagiri, a disciple of Sinhagiri. Dhanagiri had
left his house soon after his wife became pregnant. The child who was born
to this abandoned woman was very troublesome and her relations gave him
away to Sinhagiri when he had come to the area on a preaching mission.
Since the child was very heavy in weight Sinhagiri named him Vajra. He was
then educated in the sacred literature. Sinhagiri wanted Vajra to be
master in the knowledge of the sacred books, so he sent Vajra to
Bhadragupta in Ujjayini. Bhadragupta was master of ten Purvas.
"Soon afterwards Vajra arrived, and was most cordially received by
Bhadragupta, who readily imparted to him the knowledge of the Purvas. The
object of Vajra's mission being accomplished in a short time, he returned
to Dashapura and joined his guru. The latter permitted him to teach the
Purvas, which event the Gods celebrated by showering down a rain of
flowers. Sinhagiri, after having made over to Vajra, his gana, put an end
to his earthly career by self- starvation. Vajurasvamin, then traveling
about in company with 500 monks preached the Law; wherever he went he was
admired and praised by all."
How the knowledge of the later part of the 10th Purva was lost
There was a person called Aryarakshita. He went to great acharya to learn
the Drishtivada. The acharya asked him to become a monk first.
Aryarakshita was willing to do so at once, but he induced the monks to
remove their residence; for he was afraid that the king and the people
would importune him to leave the order. (This was the first case that
Jains were guilty of seducing disciples of other sects.) Aryarakshita
became a pious monk and he readily acquired all knowledge that the acharya
possessed. But when he was told that Vajra in Puri knew more of the
Drishtivada than his teacher, he went and joined Vajra.
Then Aryarakshita began his studies and in a short time had mastered nine
Purvas. It was when he learned the yamakas of the 10th Purva that the
course of his studies was interrupted. For about this time a letter
arrived from his parents entreating him to return home. Vajra was at first
reluctant to let him go without learning all the Purvas, but when more
such letters came requesting Aryaraksita to go back home, "Vajra at last
permitted him to go, because his intuition told him that he (Vajra) should
soon die, and with him the knowledge of the complete 10th Purva." (XIII,
134)
"With Vajra died out the knowledge of the complete 10th Purva, and the
fourth Samhanana came to its end." (XIII, 179)
"From Vajra are derived all the divisions of the Church which exist at the
present time." (XIII, 201-203).
Thus Hemachandra ends the Sthaviravali, the history of the patriarchs of
the Jain Church. In the 13th canto of his work he mentions one or two
incidents from the life of Vajrasena who was the successor of Vajra, but
these are not important in the history of the Church. (Aryarakshita whom
Vajra had taught most of the Purvas never became a patriarch, but his
pupil Gotthamahila was the person who started the seventh schism of the
Jain Church in 584 AV.).
It appears from the account given by Hemachandra that generally it was one
person who occupied the top place in the Church, and this person was the
one who knew the Jain sacred literature in full. There was up to that time
no written record of this literature and everything had to be committed to
memory. People with such good memory are not easy to find at any time, and
the Jains had to find such men among the limited number of people who
would accept the strict rules of the Jain monk-hood. Only twice there were
two heads of the Church living simultaneously. The second of this occasion
was during the reign of king Samprati in Ujjayini. At that time Mahagiri
and Suhanstin headed the Church simultaneously. Of the two, Mahagiri was
conservative. He wanted the Jain monks to live strictly in the manner
prescribed in the Law. Since he was unable to enforce this, he went away
and starved himself to death.
The headquarters of the Jain Church was generally in the capital city of
the most powerful ruler of that time. When Udayin, founded his new capital
city at Pataliputra, the head quarters of the Church was moved there. It
remained there throughout the period of the Nandas and the first three
Mauryas. When the fourth Maurya king Samprati (one of Ashoka's grandsons)
set up his capital to Ujjayini, the headquarters of the Jain Church also
moved there.
As noted earlier Hemachandra does not describe the lives of the four
patriarchs between Suhastin and Vajra. These four patriarchs are named in
the Kalpa Sutra. A question may be raised as to whether even this Kalpa
Sutra list is a complete one, for the possibility is that the number of
patriarchs between Suhastin and Vjra was more than four. Jacobi arrives at
this conjecture on the following basis;7
Hemachandra mentions that Bhadrabahu died 170 years (170 AV.) after the
Nirvana of Mahavira. As Bhadrabahu was the sixth patriarch, this gives an
average period of a little less than thirty years for each patriarch up to
Bhadrabahu.
On the other hand if we accept the usual date given for the sixth schism
to be 544 AV., then we find the difference between the lifetime of its
author Rohagutta and the death of Bhadrabahu as 374 years. Now Rohagutta8
was a prashishya of Suhastin, the eighth patriarch, e.g., he belonged to
the generation of the tenth patriarch. This gives only four patriarchs in
an interval of 374 years that means 94 years for each patriarch. This
according to Jacobi is an absurd figure. It may be question whether the
date of the sixth schism, viz. 544 AV. is correctly recorded. Jacobi has
also examined this point. The first seven schisms of the Jain Church have
been described in the Avasyaka Nirykti, but it does not mention the eighth
schism (the Shvetambara- Digambara split) which is said to have taken
place in 609 AV.), or, say, 50 to 60 years after the 6th schism (544 AV.).
So there is not much possibility that the date of this schism could have
been forgotten by that time. "To sum up, if we base our inquiry on the
well established date of the schisms,9 we arrive at the conclusion that
the list of Theras (patriarchs) is imperfectly handed down; there must
have been far more theras than are contained in the Theravalis."
"In other words the Theravalis do not furnish a connected list of
patriarchs succeeding each other as teacher and disciple, but a patched up
list of patriarchs whose memory survived in oral and literary tradition,
while the rest of them had fallen in utter oblivion."10
It will be noticed that Hemachandra ends his Sthaviravali in an enigmatic
manner. "From Vajra are derived all the divisions of the Church which
exist at the present time." What these divisions were, are not stated. It
may be conjectured that Vajra had supported chaityavasa (dwelling by monks
in temples a practice that led later to corruption among the Svetambaras.
An inscription of about the 1st century AD on the Son Bhandara (Rajgir,
Bihar) shows that Acharya Vaira (Vajra) excavated two caves that were
suitable for dwellings of monks and in which Jain images were installed
for worship.
REFERENCES
1. H. Jacobi in his Introduction to Hemachandra's Parishishtaparyam, p.
xiv.
2. The figures in the brackets refer to the canto and shloka numbers in
the Asiatic Society edition of Hemchandra's sthaviravali. The portions
within inverted commas are Jacobi's summaries of these shlokas.
3. The Buddhist version of how Kunala was blinded is different. It is said
that Tishyaraksha, the chief queen of Ashoka, fell in love with Kunala who
tried to desist his stepmother. In her fury she caused him to be blind; or
Kurala tore out his own eyes to prove his innocence. Cambridge History of
India, Vol. I. P. 451)
4. Ashoka's successor, according to some Buddhist sources, was Konala
whose successor, according to some Buddhist sources, was Kunala whose
successor was his son Samprati. Cambridge History of India, Vol. I, p. 461
5. "Evidently Sthulabhadra's eldest sister is meant."(Note by Jacobi)
6. Appendix V.
7. Introduction to the Sthaviravali, p. xvii
8. "Rohagutta was a disciple of Suhasti." (Jacobi's note). This does not
appear to be correct. According to the Kalpa Sutra Rohagutta was a
disciple of Mahagiri, colleague of Suhastin. This makes the matter more
confusing.
9. Jacobi himself questions the dates of the various schisms given in the
Avashyak Nirukti. The 4th schism was started by Assamita, who was a
disciple of Kodinna, a disciple of Mahagiri, in 220 AV. and the 5th schism
was started by Ganga who was the disciple of Dhanagutta, disciple of
Mahagiri in 228 AV. Thus the difference between the periods of the two
heresies both started by prashishyas of Mahagiri is eight years. But the
6th schism that was since we know that Mahagiri and Suhastin were
contemporaries, the difference between the ages of their prashisyas could
not be as much as 300 years.
10. Ibid., p. xix.
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Philosophy
