Acharya Shri Haribhadra Suriswarji M. S.
During the sixth century of the Christian era, there lived a learned Brahmin named Haribhadra. He was highly intelligent, was proficient in all the religious philosophies, and could reason very well. He was also quick in grasping what the other party intended to state. It was therefore easy for him to effectively counter the argument of the opposite party. As was the practice in those days, he used to go to various places for debating with the scholars and other learned men at royal courts. Thanks to his expertise, he invariably turned out to be victorious every where. The scholars were therefore getting scared of entering into debate with him.
When no one thus came forward to counter him, he concluded that there was no rival for him in the entire country. He felt sure he had no problem in comprehending any thing that any one would like to discuss. He had therefore issued a public challenge that if any one could present some thing that he could not understand, he would readily become his pupil. In doing that, he had overlooked the fact that there had been Jain Acharyas who were highly proficient in all the philosophies and who could effectively challenge him. They however did not like to advertise their knowledgeability and did not therefore come out to challenge his superiority.
One day while he was passing through a street, he came across the royal elephant. The animal was drunk and had gone out of control. The keeper was trying his best to bring him into control, but the elephant was not responding to any of his efforts. As the elephant was approaching fast towards him, Haribhadra had to escape somewhere. As he looked around, he saw in front of himself the prominent Jain temple of the city. He ran towards it and entered the temple in order to save himself from the wrath of the elephant.
Haribhadra had scant regard for Jainism and did not care to know what it stood for. He had also overlooked what Jainism had to offer in the philosophical area. Brahmins are usually staunch Shaivaites and abhor going to Jain temples. There was a proverb among them that one should not enter a Jain temple even if he happens to be hit by an elephant. True to that tradition, Haribhadra had never entered a Jain temple. He knew well about the deities whose idols are worshipped in Hindu temples. But he did not have clear concept about the Jain Tirthankars. As he entered the temple, he saw the white marble idol of Lord Mahavir facing him. Instead of looking at the graceful compassion flowing from the idol, Haribhadra could only notice that the stomach of the idol did not represent the skinny body of an austere saint. The only conclusion that he could draw by looking at the idol was that the Jain Tirthankars must have been enjoying substantial food. He therefore made the following remarks:
Vapurevatavachashte Spashtam Mishtann-Bhojitamit means: "Your stomach itself clearly indicates that you must be eating sweet foods."
The Jain tradition believes in time cycles of very long duration occurring one after another. One half of a cycle is called Utsarpini or the ascending order during which there is all-round improvements; the other half is called Avasarpini or the descending order during which every thing goes on deteriorating. That tradition also holds that 24 Tirthankars, 12 sovereign emperors, 9 Vasudevs, 9 Counter-Vasudevs and 9 Balrams are born in every Utsarpini as well as Avasarpini. Once, while Haribhadra was passing by the ladies' Upashray, he heard the nun Yakini Mahattara reciting the following verse indicating the order in which the sovereign emperors and Vasudevs occurred during the current Avasarpini.
Chakkidugam Haripanagam Panagam Chakki Ya Kesavo Chakki Kesav Chakki Kesav Du Chakki Kesi Ya Chakki YA
As a student, Haribhadra had studied the Jain philosophy. But he obviously had no background regarding the above mentioned tradition. As such, he could not make out what the Mahattara was uttering. To ask the nun about the meaning was also a problem, because he had undertaken to be the pupil of any one who would present any thing that he could not make out. True to his undertaking, however, he brushed aside his hesitation and went inside. He said that he had undertaken to be the pupil of any one who could present any thing that he could not comprehend. Since he could not make out what the Mahattara had uttered, he requested her to accept him as a pupil and to explain what she was reciting.
The Mahattara replied that nuns are not supposed to teach the males and cannot have the male pupils. She therefore advised Haribhadra to go to her Guru Jinabhattasuri who was capable to explain the verse as well as its implied meaning. She added that if he thought fit thereafter, he could become the pupil of that Guru. Accordingly, Haribhadra went to Acharya Jinabhattasuri who explained the verse in proper perspective. He however did not ask Haribhadra to be his pupil.
The way, the Acharya explained, induced Haribhadra to know more about Jainism. He therefore requested the Acharya to accept him as a pupil. Thereupon, Jinabhattasuri asked him to get the consent of his family and other close relatives. Haribhadra had to face heavy odds when he went to seek such permission. He however did not give up and patiently continued to persuade the members of his family and other relatives. He explained to them that his knowledge would remain incomplete without gaining the knowledge of Jainism at length. For that purpose as well as for adhering to his undertaking, it was incumbent upon him to be a Jain monk. He ultimately succeeded in gaining the consent of all the concerned. Thereupon, he renounced the worldly life and became a pupil of Jinabhattasuri.
Now, he diligently started studying the Jain scriptures and other sacred books. The smart and intelligent as he was, he could soon gain mastery over the Jain scriptures. The study of the Agams showed to him how much depth has been reached by Jainism in seeking the truth. When it was seen that he had gained the mastery over the Jain literature and was thoroughly convinced about the true faith, it was decided to take the advantage of his capability by bestowing on him the state of Acharyahood. On an auspicious day, he was formally announced as Acharya Haribhadra-suri. In that capacity, he managed the Jain order very capably and efficiently. By virtue of his knowledge and intelligence, he could attract many people to the Jain fold. Many of them also renounced and became his pupils. Jainism saw a new height of popularity during his stewardship.
Amongst his many pupils, there were two named Hans and Paramhans who had been the sons of his sister. They were very promising and Haribhadra-suri had high expectations of them. Once Hans and Paramhans requested him to allow them to go to a well known Buddhist monastery in order to study the weak points of Buddhism. Haribhadra-suri could foresee that the idea would not be beneficial and therefore did not approve. Hans and Paramhans however persisted and ultimately secured his permission. They went in the disguise of the Buddhist monks, but were unfortunately identified. Thereupon the head of the monastery took them as spies and dealt them the punishment that ultimately resulted in loss of their lives.
When Haribhadra-suri learnt about the tragic fate of those pupils, he was overcome with wrath and vowed to punish the Buddhists for the said cruelty. He challenged them to enter into a debate in a royal court with the stipulation that whoever lost, would be put to death. In view of the violence involved in the challenge, Guru Jinabhattasuri ultimately persuaded him to leave the debate. Haribhadra-suri also realized that his undue attachment for Hans and Paramhans had led him to indulge in violent attitude. He therefore begged for the atonement. For that purpose, the Guru advised him to compose the books that would attract the people to the right faith.
Accordingly, Haribhadra-suri started writing. He was a prolific writer. He wrote many books of which only a few are available at present. The commentaries on Dashvaikalik-sutra, Tattvarthasutra, Panchasutra, and Avashyak-sutra are among his well known compositions. Moreover, he wrote Lalitvistara, Dharma-sangrahani, Upadeshapad, Shodashtaks, Dharmabindu, and Anekanta Jaypataka. He was probably the first Jain scholar to write on Yoga. Yogabindu, Yogavinshika, Yogashatak and Yogadrashti Samuchchaya are his compositions on Yoga. He will always be remembered for the valuable contribution in this area.
Key Message : The entire life of Haribhadra-suri depicts his keen desire for learning. Eventhough he was an established scholar, he was ready to learn from a simple Jain Sadhvi. This is a great lesson in humility. One should not let pride come in the way of acquiring knowledge. Jain Agams are describing the essence of Jainism in a logical, convincing way. No doubt, a deep understanding will lead one to practice the principles of Jainism with more discipline and faith. The various compositions of Haribhadra-suri are very precious and help us gain a better understanding of this very complex, well-defined, and logical religion.
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Article Courtesy : Mr. Pravin K. Shah
Chairperson Jaina Education Committee
Federation of Jain Associations in North America
509, Carriage Woods Circle Raleigh, NC 27607-3969, USA
E-Mail : pkshah1@attglobal.net
Websites : www.jaina.org & www.jainism.org
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Mail to : Ahimsa Foundation
www.jainsamaj.org
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