Question

The Monk whom Chandragupta Maurya accompanied to South India was _________.
(A) Asvaghosa
(B) Vasumitra
(C) Upagupta
(D) Bhadrabahu

Answer 1

Hint: Chandragupta Maurya was the originator of the Mauryan Empire in primaeval India. He was educated and advocated by the philosopher Chanakya, who had a prodigious impact in the creation of his kingdom. Jointly, Chandragupta and Chanakya assembled one of the chief kingdoms on the Indian subcontinent.

Complete step-by-step answer:
Bhadrabahu was, conferring to the Digambara faction of Jainism, the last Shruta Kevalin (all eloquent by gossip, that is meandering) in Jainism but Śvētāmbara trusts the last Shruta Kevalin was Acharya Sthulabhadra but was prohibited by Bhadrabahu from revealing it. He was the last acharya of the unbroken Jain sangha. He was the psychic educator of Chandragupta Maurya, the originator of the Maurya Empire. Conferring to the Digambara faction of Jainism, there were 5 Shruta Kevalins in Jainism - Govardhana Mahamuni, Vishnu, Nandimithra, Aparajita, and Bhadrabahu. On the night of the full moon in the month of Kartik, Chandragupta Maurya (originator and monarch of Maurya Empire) saw 16 visions, which were then described to him by Acharya Bhadrabahu. Bhadrabahu was in Nepal for a 12-year penitentiary pledge when the Pataliputra meeting took place in 300 BCE to put together the Jain norm afresh. Bhadrabahu determined the famine would make it tougher for monks to endure and travelled with a group of 12,000 followers to South India, taking with him Chandragupta, transformed Digambara monk. Conferring to the writings at Shravanabelagola, Bhadrabahu died after taking the pledge of Sallekhana.

Thus, option (D) is correct.

Note: Bhadrabahu was the last acharya of the unbroken Jain sangha. After him, the Sangha divided into 2 distinct teacher-student ancestries of monks. Digambara monks fit in the ancestry of Acharya Vishakha and Svetambara monks shadow the practice of Acharya Sthulibhadra.