Sruta Sarita

SR No.: 001940
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Jitendra B Shah
Publisher: Shardaben Chimanbhai Educational Research Centre
Publication Year: 2001
Total Pages: 310
Language: English, Prakrit, Hindi
Classification: Book_Devnagari & Articles
File Size: 18 MB

Page 18

EPITHETS OF LORD MAHĀVĪRA IN EARLY JAINA CANONS
which shows that there were many such persons who were called Arihanta or Jina and Lord Mahāvīra was one of them.
The epithet 'Arahā' was also used for the Buddha and the use of this term was not absent in the Vedic literature. But when this word was used frequently for their leaders by the Sramanas the word was dropped by the Vedic writers.
Like Māhana the term "Veyavī was also in vogue in ancient days for the learned and so it is used in such sense in the Acāränga (139). Such is also the case with the terms Aria (146, 207, 187) ‘Mahesi' (160) and Medhāvī (191). The term Jina' though used (162) in Ācārānga part I it is surprising that it is not used with reference to Lord Mahāvīra.
Sattha (188), though used only once for Mahāvīra, is frequently used for Buddha.
To conclude, we can say that here the terms Muni, Māhana, Nayaputta, Vira, Mahāvīra and Bhagavan were main epithets for Lord Mahāvīra. But we must bear in mind that here also the epithet Tirthankara is not used.
In Pāli Pītaka, as we have seen, Lord Mahāvīra is referred to again and again by the terms Savvaññū and Savvadassi, but in Acārānga we do not come across such terms, instead, we find the terms such as - 371670 (s. 8. 88), 317che stia (83), 249 (840), 3tfv (3. P. 8), Hool 471744711 (844), Anelisamani (9. 1. 116). Some of these terms may convey the meaning of omniscience, but it is significant that the proper term Savvannu is not used. We will see that this term is frequent in later Jaina literature so we may not be wrong if we conclude that this term is introduced in the period later than the time of the Ācārānga part I and this will show that the Acāränga part I is earlier than the portions of Päli-Pitakas in which this term occurs.
Sūtrakrtānga, Part I
In Sūtrakrtanga part I we see further development. Here we can have the common epithets like Samana and Māhana, but many more are added, and some of the early epithets have become names in this part of the Sūtrakrtānga. In Ācārānga Vīra and Mahavira were simple epithets but in Sūtrakrtānga they have become the names (1. 1. 1; 1. 1. 27; 14. 2. 22; 1. 9. 24; 1. 14. 11.). For the first time Mahāvīra is given an epithet of 'Niggantha' (1. 14. 11) which appears in Pāli-Pīļakas as Nigantha, Nātaputta. Nāya, Nāyaputte and Nāyasuye are also used in Sūtrakrtānga (1. 1. 27; 2. 3. 32; 2. 3. 31; 6. 26. 14, 23; 6. 21, 24). Like Mahāvīra now he is 'Mahamuni' (1. 9. 24; 2. 2. 15; 2. 1. 14). In Sūtrakrtānga Kāsave indicating his gotra is added (2. 2. 7; 2. 2. 25; 2. 3. 20; 3. 3. 2. 3. 4. 21;