Manuscript Painting 007

Before his conversion to Jainism, Sthulabhadra, a resident of Pataliputra (modern Patna) around the fourth century B.C.E., lived with the courtesan Kosa. As a penance for his former life and a test of his commitment to his new vow of chastity, he chose to reside in Kosa's house during the rainy season, and remained unmoved by her attempts at seduction. When the king died, Kosa was gifted to one of his charioteers, who so admired her respect for Sthulabhadra that he, too, converted to Jainism and become a monk, and she, a nun. Sthulabhadra became a great acharya (an illustrious religious teacher) and eventually the head of the sangha (community of monks and nuns). This moralizing story incidentally celebrates the charioteer's archery skills and Kosa's unsurpassed qualities as a dancer, neither of which could match the spiritual accomplishments of Sthulabhadra.