Vaddaradhana is a religious text written by Bhrajishnu, a monk belonging to the
Digambar sect of Jain religion. This text was composed during the 9th century in the
Kannada language. There are 19 stories covering the life of several Jain monks. These stories elucidates on the fundamental principles of Jainism. This text also deals with the code of conduct to be followed by aspiring ascetics.
The tales in Vaddaradhana, written in a very simple manner, portrays the spiritual life of the ascetics and their interaction with the worldly persons. The tales represents fables which preach moral values and Jain wisdom. This text also contains interesting accounts of the culture during the 9th century.
Each of the 19 stories begins with a ‘gaha’ (hymn) written in a language belonging to the Prakrit linguistic group.
