Saturday, January 11, 2020

Jain Acharya Sthulabhadra


            Acharya Sthulabhadra shines as a bright star among the galaxy of Jain saints who has illumined Jainism by his matchless self-control, and unparalleled intellect. So highly is he honoured in the Swetambara sect that he is remembers in the mangala-mantra (benedictory chant) along with the Tirthankara Mahavira, his first disciple Gautama, and the Jain faith.1
            He was born in Patlipurta, the then capital of Magadha in the year 351 BC during the reign of King Nanda the IXth. He was the eldest son of Shakadala, the legendary Prime Minister of the Magadha Empire. He had seven sisters who became Jain nuns, and a younger brother, Shreyaka, who too later became a Prime Minister.
            When Sthulabhadra was eighteen years old, he was sent by his father to the renowned state-courtesan Kosha for training in the amorous arts (kamakala). For he was being trained by Shakadala to be the future Prime Minister and, was therefore expected to be a master of all the branches of the arts and the sciences. Kosha was not only a lady exquisite beauty and grace, but she also held a distinguished position in the different fields of arts. So, one who had not undergone training under her was not considered learned. Hence Shakadala sent his promising son to her. But Kosha and Sthulabhadra fell in love with each other at first sight, and the latter did not return from her house for the next twelve years!
            Shakadala did not repeat the mistake of sending Shreyaka also to Kosha and, instead, appointed him the personal bodyguard of the king. We need not go into the details, however interesting, of the rivalry between Shakadala and one Vararuchi and the course of events that followed leading to the premature and unnatural death of Shakadala. After his death Shreyaka was offered the post of Prime Minister, but he politely declined, stating that his elder brother was the rightful heir and should be summoned.
            Sthulabhadra was completely oblivious of the world for all these twelve years. He was startled by the news of his father’s death and by the summons of the king. Bidding goodbye to his sweetheart, and fearing further trouble, he hurried to the court. There he came to know in detail the circumstances that led to his father’s death. He was asked to accept the Prime Minister’s post, but he begged to be allowed to consider deeply the offer before accepting it. He retired into solitude.
            The moment of his awakening and conversion had arrived. He discriminated thus:
                    A state official, however high his post, is after all a servant of the king. How can there be happiness for one who is subordinate to another? Even though one may be fully dedicated to the State, there is never any dearth of backbiters and faultfinders who are ever ready to create problems. My father died prematurely on account of his ministerial post. By accepting this office I will have to please the king as well as the public, which is very difficult. Besides, the burden of administrative work leaves no time for thinking about the Self.
            This discrimination awakened the true spirit of renunciation in Sthulabhadra. He forthwith renounced the world, received the monastic vows from Acharya Sambhuta Vijaya and returned to the court in the garb of a monk. Everyone was amazed. He was persuaded by all, including the king and his brother, to reconsider his decision, but to no avail. The king, however, suspected that he was probably going to Kosha by thus deceiving all! But when he saw Sthulabhadra proceed in some other direction, he felt sorry for his suspicion.
            Sthulabhadra became a monk at the age of thirty and lived the rigorous monastic life for sixty nine long years. He was humble, intelligent, hardworking and austere. Diligentaly cultivating virtues such as patience, forbearance, equanimity and forgiveness, he soon became the most trusted lieutenant of his guru.
                       
            Rainy season was drawing close. Now, according to the traditional custom, Jain monks too live at certain specific places during the four rainy months to avoid walking outside and so hurting crawling creatures which multiply and abound then. They seek permission from their guru to retire to some secluded place for this period to practise various types of austerities. One among Sthulabhadra and his brother disciples asked permission to remain in kayotsarga-dhyana (meditation with perfect control of and detachment from the body) near the den of a lion; another to live near the hole of a snake; and another to dwell on the central beam of a well! Sthulabhadra, however, made a very peculiar request: He begged permission to pass the four monsoon months in the pleasure-chamber (chitra-shala) of the courtesan Kosha, where he had lived a different life for twelve years! All were granted permission.
            Kosha, who was downcast ever since Sthulabhadra had left, was delighted to see him back. At first she thought that he had returned, not being able to bear the rigorous of monastic life. The sage, however, made his intentions plain: he was going to stick to his vows. Still hopeful, Kosha tried to win him with arguments in favour of a life of enjoyment, and tried all means she knew to tempt him, but failed. She accepted defeat in face of his absolute self-control, serene inner pose born of deep meditation on the Self, and renunciation. Being defeated, she then converted and became a lay Jain devotee. The conversation between Kosha and Sthulabhadra is the ever-fresh subject matter of a number of poetic compositions both in Pali and Sanskrit by Jain scholar-monks, full of discrimination and renunciation; it is highly instructive and elevating.
            It is said in praise of Sthulabhadra:
                 The affectionate courtesan was obedient; the food consisted of six courses of tasty dishes; the dwelling place was beautiful, the body was handsome and young; the time was the rainy season. I pay homage to Sthulabhadra Muni, expert in instructing young ladies, who, in spite of all these, conquered with ease Kama, the god of love.2
                 There are  thousands of self-controlled people living in high mountain caves and in the solitude of deep forests. But the son of Shakadala alone maintained perfect self-control while living in the vicinity of young maidens in exceedingly beautiful surroundings.3
            At the end of four months the monks returned to the guru. He complimented the first three monks saying, ‘ Dukkhara’, meaning that the vow they had fulfilled was indeed difficult. But when Sthulabhadra came, he went seven steps forward and greeted him saying, ‘Atidukkhara’, meaning ‘most difficult’. Unfortunately, the three monks became jealous and decided to equalize with Sthulabhadra by staying at Kosha’s house during the next rainy season! So the remaining eight months flew by because of their eager expectation.
            With the advent of the next rainy season, the monk who had lived near the den of a lion went straight to Kosha’s house , against his guru’s prohibition. Kosha immediately realized that the muni had come out of animosity towards Sthulabhadra, and decided to teach him a lesson. She entertained him till he was excited with passion and then she proposed that he should bring a precious ratna-kambala ( a costly shawl embroidered with jewels) from the king of Nepal and present to her. Only then would she satisfy his carnal desire.
            The infatuated monk, abandoning all sense of shame, went to Nepal and brought the shawl with great difficulty. Kosha wiped her feet with the costly ratna-kambala and threw it into the drain. When the monk protested at her throwing away such a precious shawl, Kosha retorted, ‘Why, after having obtained this rare human birth, are you not throwing away the priceless charita-ratna ( the jewel of character) for my body which is nothing but a bundle of filth, faeces, urine and other dirty substances? ‘ The muni at once realized his fault, shook off his infatuation, thanked Kosha and returned to his guru. He confessed his guilt, undertook penance for the transgression and began to practice severe austerities.
            Around that time a terrible famine lasting twelve years ravaged the whole of North India. It was a period of severe crisis for the whole monastic order (Sri Sangha) also. Besides the passing away of monks in large numbers for want of food, there was the additional danger of the extinction of the scriptural knowledge in the possession of individual monks, mainly in their memory and transmitted by verbal tradition. There were no written texts even till many centuries later. So a conference was held and all the scattered sacred lore was compiled. Thus eleven complete angas could be collected, except the twelfth. Acharya Bhadrabahu was its only knower, but he was then in Nepal, practising a special yogic meditation called Maha-prana-dhyana. Word was sent to him, but he refused to come.
            At this the Sri Sangha reminded him what penalty was for disobeying the orders of the Sri Sangha. Acharya Bhadrabahu accepted that any one, even an Acharya, was liable to be excommunicated if he went against the commands of the Order, and he was no exception. He therefore agreed, as a compromise, to impart the knowledge of the twelfth anga, even while practising Maha-prana-dhyana. Capable monks were sent to him, but because of his being preoccupied with his practices, the tuition proceeded so slowly that most of the monks left out of sheer desperation. Nevertheless, Sthulabhadra alone persisted in that snail-paced learning.
            During this period, Sthulabhadra’s seven sisters, who too had become nuns, came to meet their elder brother. Bhadrabahu directed them to a nearby cave. Seeing them come, Sthulabahdra, simply to show off his occult powers, assumed the form of a lion. The sisters, frightened out of their wits and thinking that their brother had been killed by the beast, hurried back. However, when they reported the whole matter to Bhadrabahu, he, sensing the truth, sent them again to the cave. This time, of course, they saw their brother.
            The practical joke might have amused and impressed the nuns, but it proved disastrous for Sthulabhadra. Acharya Bhadrabahu refused to teach him any further since he had misused the powers acquired by the study. Sthulabhadra immediately realized his mistake, repented and repeatedly begged to be pardoned, pledging never again to misuse the occult powers. But Bhadrabahu was adamant. The Sri Sangha intervened and requested him to teach the remaining portion. At this, he taught only the text, but not the meaning of the remaining four sections.
            Justifying his stand Acharya Bhadrabahu said that he was unwilling to impart the previous knowledge not merely because Sthulabhadra had misused it, but also for a deeper reason. There wasn’t a more competent student than Sthulabhadra, a conqueror of lust and the desire for power and position; he was extremely intelligent, possessed of exceptionally sharp memory and infinite patience- he, indeed, was a veritable ocean of virtues. When such a high-born, steady, determined, dispassionate crestjewel of monasticism could be so careless and fall a prey to the pride of learning, what should one expect of less competent aspirants of the future? To impart knowledge to incompetent pupils is to insult knowledge itself. In any case, no purpose would be served even if the remaining knowledge was imparted. For, he foresaw that, with the passing away of Sthulabhadra, the generation of competent aspirants as well as acharyas would come to an end, and that the sacred knowledge also would be lost.
            This interesting and instructive episode, among other things, highlights the relation between the Acharya and the monastic Order. Initially the Order threatened to ex-communicate the Head, the Acharya himself, on his own verdict. He was thus forced to impart knowledge to Sthulabhadra for the welfare of the Sangha. However, on the later occasion he did not yield to the Sangha. This shows that the Sangha appoints Acharya for its own welfare, and in him the strength of the Sangha is centralized. Both the Sangha and Acharya act in unison.
            Sthulabhadra was the head, the Yuga Pradhana of the Jain community, for forty five years and died at the age of ninety nine years in the year 252 BC. He was the last of the shruta-kevalin, i.e the knower of all the scriptures. It was during this period that Bhadrabahu with his followers migrated to South India, to escape the perils of the devastating twelve year long famine. The Jain community thus got divided into two branches, the Digambara sect in the south, headed by Bhadrabahu, and the Swetambara sect in the north with Sthulabahdra as the leader.

Conclusion:

            Every religious Order is invigorated and advanced by a succession of saints and sages. Jainism is no exception. However, the lives of its ancient saints are shrouded in mystery and very little factual details are available. Although a number of books have been written on Acharya Sthulabhadra, biographical material is scarce. Interestingly, the little information available, faithfully portrays the triumphs and failures of this extraordinary saint. Here was a young man, who had fallen into the abysmal depths of sensuality and infatuation, but who raised himself to the dizzy heights of absolute self-control and conquest of lust. And yet such a patient and valiant warrior against the inner foes was vanquished by pride in an unguarded moment. Does this life not convey a profound message for all spiritual aspirants?

Bibliography

1. Parishistha Parva, by Hemchandracharya, published by Sri Jain Dharma Prasaraka Sabha, Bhavnagar, 1911.
2. Upadeshmala, Doghatti Vritti, by Ratnaprabha, published by Bhanjibhai Devchandra Jauhari, Bombay.

References:



1 ********** Quoted by Sadhvi Sanghmitra in Jain Dharma ke prabhavak acharya, ( Jain Vishwa Bharati Prakashan, Ladanu, Rajasthan, 1979), p.78.
2 ************* Quoted by Muni Ratnaprabha Vijaya, in Sramana Bhagavan Mahavir (Sr Siddhanta Society, Ahmedabad, 1948), vol. 5, part I, p.227
3 **************
lbid.