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Sthulabhadra
4th century BC Indian Jain monk From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Sthulabhadra (297-198 BCE) was a Jain monk who lived during the 3rd or 4th century BC. He was a disciple of Bhadrabahu and Sambhutavijaya. His father was Sakatala, a minister in Nanda kingdom before the arrival of Chandragupta Maurya. When his brother became the chief minister of the kingdom, Sthulabhadra became a Jain monk and succeeded Bhadrabahu in the Pattavali as per the writings of the Kalpa Sūtra.[1] He is mentioned in the 12th-century Jain text Parisistaparvan (appendix to the Trisasti-shalakapurusa-caritra) by Hemachandra.[2]
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Sthulabhadra was a son of the Dhana Nanda's minister Sakatala and brother of Shrikaya.[3][4] He is traditionally dated in 297 to 198 BCE.[3] He loved and lived with a royal dancer in Dhana Nanda's court named Rupkosa.[3][4] He denied ministry after the death of his father and became a Jain monk.[5] His brother became the chief minister in Nanda empire later.[6][4] He became a disciple of Sambhutavijaya (347-257 BCE) and Bhadrabahu (322-243 BCE).[7][4][8] He led an ascetic life for 12 years.[6]
He spent his chaturmas at Rupkosa's home, during which she tried to lure him away from ascetic life but failed.[6] Sthulabhadra in turn gave her vows of a Shravika (Jain laywoman).[6]
He is said to have learned only 10 purvas (pre-canons with meanings) from Bhadrabahu. Although he knew the last 4 purvas as well, but since he did not know the meaning associated with them, he is not considered to have been a Shrutakevalin.[2] He was succeeded by his disciples Acharya Mahagirisuri and Acharya Suhastinsuri, whom he taught only 10 purvas because Bhadrabahu had imposed a condition upon him that he would not teach the last 4 purvas to anyone because he had used the knowledge of purvas to display magical powers.[2][6][9] 10th century Digambara texts state that Sthulabhadra permitted the use loincloth during the 12-year famine, a practice that started the Śvetāmbara order, but is considered as baseless according to followers of the Śvetāmbara sect. Avashyak Bhashya, a 5th-century Śvetāmbara text written by Jinabhadra claims that the Śvetāmbara sect had always existed and that the Digambara sect was created by a rebellious monk named Sivabhuti.[10][11][12]
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Legacy
Śvetāmbaras venerate Acharya Sthulabhadrasuri in the following hymn:[13]
मङ्गलं भगवान् वीरो मङ्गलं गौतमः प्रभुः। मङ्गलं स्थूलभद्राद्या जैनधर्मोऽस्तु मङ्गलम्॥
IAST :
maṅgalaṃ bhagavān vīro maṅgalaṃ gautamaḥ prabhuḥ. maṅgalaṃ sthūlabhadrādyā jainadharmo'stu maṅgalam..
Meaning:
Bhagawän Mahävir is auspicious, Ganadhar Gautam Swämi is auspicious; Ächärya Sthulibhadra is auspicious, Jain religion is auspicious.
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