Life in Ancient India as Depicted in the Jain Canons, with Commentaries: An Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey c5.s7: The Great Leaders

Life in Ancient India as Depicted in the Jain Canons, with Commentaries: An Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey c5.s7

Language: English

The Great Leaders

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⁸⁴ See Kalpa Sū 8 and its commentary by Samayasundaragani

During his life time Mahāvīra was the head of the four orders in his community. After his death Suhamma succeeded him and continued to be the spiritual head for twenty years. Suhamma was followed by Jambu who was the last *Kevalin*, and after him the doors of final liberation and omniscience (*kevalinship*) were forever closed to men. Jambu was succeeded by Pabhava, Sejjambhava, Jasobhadda and Sambhūtivijaya. Then came the famous Bhaddabāhu, during whose leadership was visited by a great famine. Bhaddabāhu was followed by Thūlabhadda, who is said to have been the son of Sagaḍāla, the prime-minister to the ninth Nanda. Thūlabhadda continued to be the leader of the Church for a long time. The six spiritual leaders from Jambu onwards are called *Śrutakevalins* and they are said to have been bound by common spiritual interest (*ekka-sambhogo*)⁸⁵ The next head of the community after Thūlabhadda was Mahāgiri, and as it has been pointed out, he revived the ideal practice of nudity, and himself practised *Jinakappa*. From the time of Mahāgiri the practice of *sambhoga* was discontinued. Mahāgiri was followed by Suhatthi, who converted king Sampai, the grandson and successor of Asoka. Sampai was a great patron of Jainism and he worked hard for the spread of the Jain religion in non-Aryan countries. During the time of Mahāvīra the Jain monks could move in a limited area, but now twenty five and a half countries were opened to them⁸⁶ Suhatthi was followed by Sutthiya Sūri, Suppadibuddha and Indadinna. Then came the well-known Kālakācārya, who is said to have caused the defeat of king Gaddabhilla with the assistance of Scythian kings.⁸⁷ Kālakācārya, who was a contemporary of king Sātavāhana, is particularly remembered in connection with changing the date of *Pajjūsana* (an annual feast).⁸⁸ The next spiritual leader of importance was Ajja Vaira, who is considered to be the last *Dasapūrvin* and contemporary of king Nahavāna. It is said that he was received with great pomp and ceremony by the king of Pāṭaliputra. During this period the country is said to have been visited by long famines twice, once in Uttarāpatha and once in Dakṣiṇāpatha. Towards the end of his life Ajja Vaira went to the mountain Rahāvaya and died by giving up food and drink⁸⁹ Ajja Vaira was followed by Ajja Rakkhiya, who mastered the nine Pūrvas and who ordained his whole family, as mentioned already.

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⁸⁵ Nisi Cū 5. P 437

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⁸⁶ Brh Bhū I 3263

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⁸⁷ Nisi. Cū. 10, pp 571 ff

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⁸⁸ ibid, pp 630 ff.

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⁸⁹ Ava Cū., pp 390-396, 401 f.

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Among the later exponents of Jain religion mention may be made of Umāsvāti, Kundakunda, Siddhasena Divākara, Samantabhadra, Haribhadra, Akalṅka, Vidyānanda and Hemacandra. All of them were versatile writers and they supported the cause of Jainism by their most valuable writings. Hemacandra, otherwise known as kalikāla-sarvajña, was a versatile genius and became the head of the community in 1121 A.D. It was during this time that Kumārapāla embraced Jainism and under his patronage Jainism became the state religion of Gujrat. Since then Jainism went on declining and its star never shone brightly again.

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Jainism passed through many storms and upheavals from time to time from its birth, and yet it could survive and did not disappear from the soil of India like its sister religion Buddhism. The chief cause of this seems to have been the inflexible conservatism of the Jains in holding fast to their original institutions and doctrines. This is the reason, as Prof. Jacobi has pointed out, that although a number of less vital rules concerning life and practices of the monks and lay men may have fallen into oblivion or disuse, yet the religious life of the Jain community even now is substantially the same as it was two thousand years ago.⁹⁰

Linked texts (2)

Bṛhatkalpalaghubhāṣya — Saṅghadāsagaṇi Kṣamāśramaṇa, Māhārāṣṭrī Prakrit
Kalpasūtra — Bhadrabāhu, Ardhamāgadhī Prakrit