Sthulabhadra was the son of Shakatala, chief minister to the Nanda kings at Pataliputra. As a young man he lived for twelve years with Kosha, a celebrated courtesan and dancer. When his father died in a court intrigue and he was offered the ministership, he reflected on how such power ends — and instead took initiation as a monk.
His most famous test came later. Asked by his teacher where he would spend the four months of the rainy season, he chose the house of Kosha. She tried every art to win him back; he remained unmoved, and in time she became a devoted laywoman. His teacher praised this as harder than any austerity in a forest.
He also studied the Purvas with Bhadrabahu. Tradition says that when he playfully used a spiritual power to show himself to his sisters in the form of a lion, Bhadrabahu declined to teach him the meaning of the last four Purvas — a story about the humility knowledge requires. Svetambara Jains name him in their daily blessing: “Mangalam Bhagavan Viro, Mangalam Gautama Prabhu, Mangalam Sthulabhadradya, Jain dharmostu mangalam.”
