Gautam Swami
Indrabhuti Gautam swami was a brahmin who was born to Vasubhuti and Prithvi in a village called Gochchar in the Magadh kingdom. He was a very well learned brahmin and used to do yagnas as a spiritual practice. Once while him and his brothers, Vayubhuti and Agnabhuti, were performing this yagna the devs were coming down from the heavens as if they were moving towards the yagna. Indrabhuti thought to himself that our yagna is so grand that the gods themselves have come to give praise. Then as he watched the demi-gods did not stop at his yagna and continued further Indrabhuti ran out and asked them, "O great demi-god's where are you going? The yagna is happening here. Why are you going in that direction?" The dev's replied, "O Indrabhuti we have not come to see you perform your yagna we have come to see the venerable Lord Vardhaman Mahavir!" Gautam thought who can this person be that is so venerable? People can be fooled by imposters posing as god but even the heavenly god's are coming to see him who is this man? Then Gautam's ego took over and he said, "Whoever he maybe I will show him there is no one on this earth that is more learned than I am. I will go defeat him and show to the world that is a imposter!" So he let his brothers know that he was going to go see who has come to town and that he'll defeat the imposter in a debate. Gautam took 500 of his disciples with him to Mahavir's samosarn who would shout "Indrabhuti jai ho!" or "Long live Indrabhuti!". Everyone's attention drew to the loud chanting of the 500 disciples and thought who is this that is coming while bhagwan is giving his lecture? Mahavir saw Indrabhuti and said "Indrabhuti have you come to complete your knowledge?" Then Indrabhuti thought "Wow he even knows my name when I have never met him before." Then his ego took over again and decided of course he knows my name! Even little children know my name, Mahavir knowing my name is no surprise. Though I have one question in my mind that I am unclear about that not even my own brother knows. If this man can tell me what the answer to that question is I'll believe that he is sarvak prabhu and anyone who can clarify this I will become his disciple. Bhagwan Mahavir already read his thoughts and says "Indrabhuti you have a doubt about the existence of the soul as according to the vedas. You have this doubt in your mind don't you Gautam? Your vedas are not wrong Indrabhuti, but your understanding of the explanation they give is wrong." He continued to explain the nature of the soul and it's differentiation from the body. It is also important to note that Mahavir never tried to break Indrabhuti's faith in the vedas. Indrabhuti immediately bowed to bhagwan Mahavir and asked him to accept him as his disciple. Then where Indrabhuti becomes a disciple his 500 followers immediately bowed to bhagwan Mahavir and became his disciples as well. Then Indrabhuti's two brothers, Vayabhuti and Agnibhuti, came and Mahavir cleared their doubts so they with their 500 disciples each became disciples of Lord Mahavir. In one lecture he obtained 1503 disciples.