# Sivabhuti

Sivabhuti was a Jain monk in the 1st century AD who is regarded as the founder of the Digambara tradition in 82 AD, according to the 5th-century Śvetāmbara text Avashyak Bhashya, written by Jinabhadra. Little is known about him apart from a single story mentioned in this ancient Śvetāmbara text. Among several works on Jainism, The Jains, a book by Paul Dundas, mentions him and the story. However, the historical authenticity of his existence or the truthfulness of the story has not been verified.
According to Jinabhadra Gaṇi in his work Vises Avasyaka-bhasya, Sivabhuti was the eighth heretic who is regarded as the founder 'Bodiya ditthi' or Botika sect. Historians like M.A. Dhaky, Sagarmal Jain and Śvetāmbara scholar Dalsukh Dahyabhai Malvania in article ''Propos of the Botika Sect" argue that the term Botika has been misinterpreted by modern Śvetāmbara writers as referring to the Digambara sect. This misinterpretation likely originated from late medieval Śvetāmbara texts and has continued to influence later interpretations.
Walther Schubring, a noted scholar, was aware that the term did not originally mean what it was later thought to imply, Bodiya Sivabhuti neither founded the Digambara sect nor was originally associated with it.
It was Śvetāmbara Muni Jambuvijaya who correctly identified that the term 'Bodiya ditthi' or Botika sect actually referred to the Yapaniya sect and not Digambara sect, also Haribhadra Sūri's ''Botika-Pratiṣedha" specifically points out that the Botika sect's which originated with Sivabhuti there practices and doctrinal points were different from those of the Digambara sect.

## Background

Śvetāmbara texts accuse Sivabhuti of starting the Digambara tradition with "eight concealments," which involve the rejection of Jain texts followed and preserved by the Śvetāmbaras. These texts openly and directly accuse him of gravely misunderstanding scriptures and traditional Jain ideologies regarding the draping of clothes and stree nirvana (the attainment of liberation or nirvana by women).

## Scholarly Views

Even though some scholars differ on the meaning of the word "Botika", most scholars agree on the view that the word "Botika" refers to the Digambaras. Albrecht Weber, a German Indologist, asserts that "Botika" refers to Digambaras. Suzuko Ohira, a Japanese scholar, also describes this account of creation of the Digambara sect in his work titled "Study of Tattvarthasutra with Bhashya".
Digambara scholars like Shivkant Dwivedi and Navneet Jain also endorse the view that "Botika" is synonymous to the "Digambaras". A.N. Upadhye, a scholar of Jainism, described this account of the schism in his works. Ratanchand Jain, a Digambara scholar, also holds the view that Sivabhuti was initially a Śvetāmbara monk and had later adopted nudity and other practices of the Digambara sect and that the Botika sect was the same as the modern-day Digambara sect.
Occasionally, some Indian scholars have also linked Digambaras (Botikas) with Ājīvikas due to their practice of nudity. Professor Pranabananda Jash, an Indian scholar, also asserts the view that Digambaras were the Botikas described in Jinabhadra Gani Kshamashramana's work while describing the eight schisms of the Jaina church. Acharya Haribhadrasuri, in his works, has described the same account of the creation of the Botika sect. According to Sthānakavāsī scholar Hastimal Maharaja, this story accurately describes how the Digambara sect came into existence. The earliest available evidence of the existence of this account of the schism is before 500 CE, at least 500 years before the first evidence of the contrasting view held by the Digambaras.

## Story of Creation of Digambara Sect

According to the Śvetāmbaras, the Digambara sect was formed by a rebellious monk named Sivabhuti in 82 AD. This claim is based on the scripture Avashyak Bhashya, composed by Acharya Jinbhadragani Kshamashraman. Other important Śvetāmbara scriptures, such as Vijaylakshmisuri's Upadesh Prasad, and Kupaksha Kaushika Sahasra Kiran Aparnam Pravachan Pariksha, also mention him. Another Śvetāmbara work, Nihnavavad, mentions him as well.
The story states that about 609 years after Mahavira attained nirvana, there was a city called Rathavirapur near present-day Mathura. A layperson named Sivabhuti lived there and worked for King Sinharath. He had earned several accolades for his service to the king. As a result, he became proud and often stayed out late at night. Once, his wife complained to his mother. To teach him a lesson, his mother asked him to leave and go somewhere else. Wandering, he entered Arya Krishnasuri's upashray (dwelling). After taking alochna (repentance) from Acharya Krishnasuri, he requested to become a monk. Sivabhuti was then initiated as a monk.
One day, while wandering as a monk, Sivabhuti arrived at Rathavirapur. On hearing about his arrival, the king gifted him a shawl (ratna-kambal). The shawl was a precious possession, but such a thing was totally against the Jain principle (vow) of Aparigraha. His preceptor, Acharya Krishnasuri, tried to explain this to him, but to no avail. The acharya tore the shawl, which did not sit well with Sivabhuti. He protested, stating that if the shawl was a possession, then so were clothes. He adopted nudity immediately. Two monks, Kaundinya and Kottavira, joined him as disciples, marking the beginning of the Digambara sect. He preached that Moksha could be attained only through complete non-possession, including clothes.
Śvetāmbaras believe he had heard his preceptor talk about jinkalpa (a way of attaining liberation by giving up all possessions, including clothes). However, he heard him mention that this practice had become extinct after Ganadhar Jambuswami. Based on his limited knowledge of scriptures, he rebelliously started imitating the Tirthankars and preaching that public nudity, even with incomplete and insufficient knowledge of the scriptures, was permitted in Jainism. This was in contradiction to major Śvetāmbara texts like the Ācārāṅga Sūtra and the Uttaradhyayana Sutra.
The scripture also states that Uttara, Sivabhuti's sister, adopted nudity and joined him. However, society thought of her as a prostitute, so Sivabhuti prevented nuns from staying nude. The courtesans of the town believed that nobody would come to them if they saw women in such a state. A condition was enforced that since women possess clothes in the Digambara tradition, they are not fit to attain Moksha or liberation. This aligns with the current-day Digambara belief regarding women attaining salvation.

## Citations

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