Shri Abhaydevsuri:
Abhaydevsuriji has earned immense fame by composing Sanskrit
commentaries on nine of the Jain agams (Jain canonical literature).
These commentaries provide a key to the innermost deep meaning of Jain
Agam literature. Besides being brief and well-worded, these commentaries
depict and discuss many topics. Thus his name ranks at the top of those
Acharyas who have written books with a view to immortalising the pure
tradition of Jinagam.
Acharya Abhaydevsuri was born in a Vaishya
(merchant) family in A.D. 1015. Born to Mahidhar Sheth and Dhandevi in
the famous city of Dhara of Malavdesh, the child was named Abhaykumar.
Once Shri Jineshwarsuri and Shri Buddhisagarsuri had come to Dhara.
Having listened to their religious discourses, he felt an inclination
for renunciation. With the permission of his parents he accepted
intiation from Jineshwarsuri. He began his studies of Agam literature at
a very young age and in course of time he was honoured with the title
of Acharya (head of a mendicant group).
It is said that one night
when Acharya Abhaydevsuri was engrossed in meditation, the Shasandevi
(the guardian Goddess) revealed herself before him and said that the
commentaries of two Agamas namely, Acharanga and Sutrakritanga, were
well-preserved but other commentaries were lost and destroyed with the
passage of time. The goddess then asked him to make efforts to remedy
that deficiency so as to serve the interests of Shrisangh
(congregation).
Acharya Abhaydevsuri accepted this enormous task. He
commenced the writing of commentary by performing ayambil lap (type of
religions austerity). After a prolonged and labourious efforts, he wrote
volumes of commentaries on anga-agam (canonical text, one of the
twelve). Because of constant penance of Ayambil and working for many
nights together, he developed a leucoderma-like disease. Consequently
his opponents spread the rumour that the mother-goddess had cursed him
with this disease as a penalty for having wrongly interpreted the
scriptures.
Acharya Abhaydevsuri invoked Shasanrakshak Deo (the
guardian God) Dharanedra at night and as the god appeared before him,
Acharya said, “O Lord! I am least afraid of my death but I can't endure
the false charges and malafide criticism that the slandering people
level against me since I am afflicted with the disease. Hence I have
decided to undertake fast till I die.”
Shasanrakshak Dev Dharanendra
assured him that he was quite innocent and provided him necessary
guidance. As guided by Dharanendra, Abhaydevsuri, together with the
shravak sangh, came at the banks of river Sedhi in Stambhangram.
Acharyashri discovered the place where a cow was yielding milk
automatically; soon he composed a stotra of 32 shlokas entitled
Jayatihuan. As the stotra was composed, a very ancient and bejewelled
idol of Shri Stambhan Parshwanath emerged from under the ground.
Shrisangh performed all the rituals of bathing and as soon as the holy
water was applied to the body of Abhaydevsuriji, he was cured of the
disease. Acharyashri regained his usual health. Presently the same idol
is installed at the temple in Cambay.
Then Acharyashri completed the
task of writing Navangi commentary, and he expired at Kapadvanja in
Gujarat and the samadhi, the memorial structure, exists there in
Tapagaccha upashraya.
