Acharya Bhadrabahu

Shruta-kevalin Acharya Shri Bhadrabahu Ji Maharaj
Inscription of the incoming of Shrutakevali Bhadrabahu swami and Chandragupta Maurya (Shravanabelagola)
Religion	Jainism
Sect	Digambara and Svetambara
Personal
Born	c. 433 BCE
Died	c. 357 BCE Shravanbelgola
Parents	Soma Sarmma (father) Soma Sri (mother)
Religious career
Successor	Acharya Vishakha
Ascetics initiated	Chandragupta Maurya
Works	Uvasagharam Stotra
Initiation	by Govarddhana Mahamuni (Shruta Kevalin)

Bhadrabahu (c. 433 – c. 357 BCE) was, according to the Digambara sect of Jainism, the last Shruta Kevalin (all knowing by hearsay, that is indirectly) in Jainism (the other sect believes the last Shruta Kevalin was Acharya Sthulabhadra, but was forbade by Bhadrabahu from disclosing it). He was the last acharya of the undivided Jain sangha. He was the last spiritual teacher of Chandragupta Maurya.

According to the Digambara sect of Jainism, there were five Shruta Kevalins in Jainism - Govarddhana Mahamuni, Vishnu, Nandimitra, Aparajita and Bhadrabahu.

Bhadrabahu was born in Pundravardhana (now in Bangladesh) to a Brahmin family during which time the secondary capital of the Mauryas was Ujjain. When he was seven, Govarddhana Mahamuni predicted that he will be the last Shruta Kevali and took him along for his initial education. He was then initiated as a Jain Muni and by practicing gyan, dhyan, tap and sanyam got the Acharya pad.

According to Śvētāmbara tradition, he lived from 433 BC to 357 BC.Digambara tradition dates him to have died in 365 BC.

On the night of full moon in the month of Kartik, Chandragupta Maurya (founder and ruler of Maurya Empire) saw sixteen dreams, which were then explained to him by Acharya Bhadrabahu.

Bhadrabahu decided the famine would make it harder for monks to survive and migrated with a group of twelve thousand disciples to South India, bringing with him Chandragupta, turned Digambara monk.

According to the inscriptions at Shravanabelgola, Bhadrabahu died after taking the vow of Sallekhana.