Mahavira Successors
According to the tradition, Mahavira won over 14,000 monks, 36,000 nuns, 1,59,000 laymen and 3,18,000 lay-women as his followers by his work. Each of these four groups, of these four ‘tirthas’, i.e., the components of the jaina order, was under the supervision of trust-worthy personalities. Monks were guided by 11 Ganadharas or heads, each one of whom, had several hundred munis under them. The name of the chief Ganadhara was Gautam Indrabhuti; Others were, Agnibhuti, Vayubhuti, Akampita, Arya Vyakta, Arya Sudharma, Manditaputra, Mauryaputra, Achalabhrata, Metraya and Prabhasa. Chief of the nuns was Mahavira’s cousin Chandana; lay-brothers were under Sankhasataka, lay-sisters under Sulasa and Revati.
Nine of the eleven Ganadharas, who were the heads of the community attained Nirvana in the master’s life time itself. Gautam Indrabhuti became omniscient in the night Mahavir attained salvation and therefore did not preside over the community as a teacher, who came from the tradition of Tirthankaras; but got his salvation twelve after his master. Thus, only Sudharma remained who could supervise the order. He held his position till Gautam Indrabhuti’s death. Then he himself became Kevali and handed over the responsibility of controlling the entire Jaina order to his pupil Jambuswami; he then lived for eight years before being free from karmas and achieved attainment. Jambuswami was the head of the order till one year after the death of his predecessor; then he also became omniscient and finally, 64 years after Mahavira, also attained nirvana. With the last omniscient of the age left the world, the last saint obtained salvation. Nobody hereafter could achieve perfection.
Although the chiefs of the community succeeding the three Kevalis did not become omniscient, they had precise knowledge of the doctrines proclaimed by the Tirthankara, as they were heard by his immediate pupil Indrabhuti and as they were recorded in words by Sudharma. These five teachers succeeding one another are called srutakevalis, i.e. knowers of all holy scriptures, having obtained knowledge by perception of hearing only. The management of the order then went over from the srutakevalis to seven or eleven teachers who succeeded one another. They knew only a part of the canonic works. The management then went to those whose knowledge was still less. Most of what is narrated about kevalis and their successors is very legendary. It is very difficult to find out howmuch of what is traditional is history and how much of it is myth, because information on them is partially contradictory, and besides Svetambaras give different names from those given by Digambaras.
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Author : Helmuth Von Glasenapp, Editor : Mr. P. L. Jain
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Mail to : Ahimsa Foundation
www.jainsamaj.org
R12111
