Kalpa Sutra

01The Barsa Sutra

Jain tradition gives the Kalpa Sutra to Acharya Bhadrabahu, the last shrutakevali, who drew it out as the eighth chapter of the Dashashrutaskandha. It is short. The scribes’ own count marks about 1,200 granthas, units of 32 syllables, which is why Gujarati Jains call it the Barsa Sutra, the twelve-hundred. Short as it is, no Jain book has been copied more often or heard by more people. Its first words set the time and the man: “In that age, at that time, Shramana Bhagwan Mahavira…”

02Five events under one star

The text begins by noting that five great moments of Mahavira’s life fell under the nakshatra Uttaraphalguni: his descent from the heavens into the womb, the transfer of the embryo, his birth, his renunciation and his kevala jnana. His nirvana came under Svati. The Shvetambara account follows: Mahavira descends from the Pushpottara vimana into the womb of the brahmani Devananda, and on Shakra’s command the deva Harinaigameshi carries the embryo to the womb of Queen Trishala. Digambara Jains do not accept the transfer and hold that Trishala alone bore him.

03Fourteen dreams

That night Queen Trishala, half asleep in Kshatriyakunda, sees fourteen dreams: an elephant, a bull, a lion, Shri Lakshmi being anointed, a garland, the moon, the sun, a banner, a full pitcher, a lotus lake, the ocean, a celestial palace, a heap of jewels and a smokeless fire. The Kalpa Sutra gathers them into one Prakrit gatha that Jain children still recite. King Siddhartha calls the dream-readers at dawn. They say a son will be born who will be a chakravartin or a Tirthankara, and the text describes each dream in long, loving detail, the lion’s claws, the moon’s white light.

04From Vardhamana to the light at Pava

From the day he was conceived, wealth grew in Siddhartha’s house, so the child was named Vardhamana. At thirty he gave everything away and took diksha. For twelve and a half years he wandered, fasting and silent, enduring what men and beasts did to him; the gods named him Mahavira for that courage. Kevala jnana came to him on the bank of the Rijupalika near Jrimbhikagrama, under a sal tree. He taught for thirty years and attained nirvana at Pava on the night of Kartika amavasya. The eighteen kings of Kashi and Kosala lit lamps, saying that since the light of knowledge had gone they would make a light of lamps. Jains keep Diwali for that night.

05Parshva, Nemi and Rishabha

After Mahavira come shorter lives of three more Jinas. Parshvanatha, the twenty-third, was born in Varanasi and lived a hundred years, attaining nirvana on Sammeta Shikhara. Arishtanemi, the twenty-second, cousin of Shri Krishna, turned back from his own wedding when he heard the cries of animals penned for the feast, and later attained nirvana on Girnar. Between them the text counts the vast intervals that separate each Tirthankara from the one before. It ends with Rishabhadeva, the first, who taught the arts of farming, writing and governance, and attained nirvana on Ashtapada.

06The elders

The Sthaviravali names the line of teachers after Mahavira: Sudharma, Jambu, Prabhava, Shayyambhava, and on through Bhadrabahu and Sthulabhadra to the later acharyas, with the ganas, kulas and shakhas that branched from each. It reads like a family register, and Jains treat it as one. Some of those branch names turn up on the Kushana-era Jain inscriptions from Kankali Tila at Mathura, carved by lay followers who named their teacher’s gana and kula. Stone and manuscript agree.

07Rules for the rains

The Samachari tells monks and nuns how to live during the four months of the rains, when the ground teems with life and walking would harm it. It says where they may stay and for how long, what food they may accept and how often, when to fast and how to keep the upashraya clean. It fixes the time for Paryushana, a month and twenty days into the rains. Then comes the passage every Jain knows in spirit: if a quarrel has arisen, the junior must ask pardon of the senior and the senior of the junior. One who becomes calm has accomplished the path; one who does not, has not. Calm is the heart of the monk’s life.

08Read aloud in Paryushana

In Shvetambara upashrayas the Kalpa Sutra is read during the eight days of Paryushana in Bhadrapada, usually with Upadhyaya Vinayavijaya’s Subodhika commentary explained in Gujarati or Hindi. On the fifth day comes Mahavira Janma Vanchan, the reading of his birth: silver images of the fourteen dreams are carried through the hall, a cradle is rocked, and families bid for the honour of bringing each dream forward. On Samvatsari, the last day, the monk reads the whole Barsa Sutra in the original Prakrit, and the sangha closes with pratikramana and “Micchami Dukkadam”, asking pardon of every living being.

09Gold, lapis and red

Because merit was earned by having it copied and gifting it to monks, the Kalpa Sutra became the most illustrated of all Jain books. Gujarat’s painters of the 14th to 16th centuries filled its pages with gold, lapis blue and red: Trishala on her couch, the fourteen dreams in a row, Mahavira pulling out his hair, the samavasarana where devas, humans and animals sit together to hear him. Thousands of these folios survive in bhandaras and museums. They are now the best-known Jain paintings in the world.

What it contains

1. 1
   Jinacharitra: Mahavira जिणचरिय

   The longest part of the book. It follows Mahavira from his descent and the fourteen dreams through birth, renunciation, austerity, kevala jnana and nirvana at Pava, and lists his sangha of monks, nuns and lay followers.

2. 2
   Jinacharitra: Parshvanatha

   The life of the twenty-third Tirthankara, born in Varanasi to King Ashvasena and Queen Vama. It records his hundred years and his nirvana on Sammeta Shikhara.

3. 3
   Jinacharitra: Arishtanemi

   The life of the twenty-second Tirthankara, of the Yadava clan, who renounced the world on his wedding day. His nirvana is placed on Girnar.

4. 4
   The intervals

   A count of the ages that passed between one Tirthankara and the next, from Nami back to Rishabha. It sets the whole line of twenty-four inside Jain time.

5. 5
   Jinacharitra: Rishabhadeva

   The life of the first Tirthankara, born at the start of human civilisation as Jains reckon it. He taught the people the arts and crafts before renouncing, and attained nirvana on Ashtapada.

6. 6
   Sthaviravali थेरावली

   The succession of elders after Mahavira, with their ganas, kulas and shakhas. Several branch names are confirmed by the Kankali Tila inscriptions at Mathura.

7. 7
   Samachari सामायारी

   Rules for monks and nuns during the rainy-season retreat: dwelling, alms, fasting and conduct. It ends with the call to forgive and be forgiven at Samvatsari.

Famous verses

तेणं कालेणं तेणं समएणं समणे भगवं महावीरे पंच हत्थुत्तरे होत्था॥

In that age, at that time, five events in the life of Shramana Bhagwan Mahavira took place under the nakshatra Uttaraphalguni.Kalpa Sutra, sutra 1

गय-वसह-सीह-अभिसेय-दाम-ससि-दिणयरं झयं कुंभं। पउमसर-सागर-विमाण-भुवण-रयणुच्चय-सिहिं च॥

The elephant, the bull, the lion, the anointing, the garland, the moon, the sun, the banner, the pitcher; the lotus lake, the ocean, the celestial palace, the heap of jewels and the fire.Kalpa Sutra, sutra 5 (gatha of the fourteen dreams)

खमियव्वं खमावियव्वं, उवसमियव्वं उवसमावियव्वं… जो उवसमइ तस्स अत्थि आराहणा, जो न उवसमइ तस्स नत्थि आराहणा… उवसमसारं खु सामण्णं॥

One must forgive and ask forgiveness, grow calm and help others grow calm. Whoever becomes calm has accomplished the path; whoever does not, has not. Calm is the very core of the monk’s life.Kalpa Sutra, Samachari, sutra 286