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INTRODUCING JAINISM
(1088-1172), Tisatti-lakkhana-mahāpurāņa or Tisattisalākā-purisa-carita of an unknown author, and the Tisattimahā-purisa gunālamkāra of Puşpadatta (10th cent. A.D.). On the lives of these Excellent men, Winternitz remarks, "Whilst with the exception of the last two Tirthankaras, Pasvanātha, and Mahāvira, the personages of the TrişasthiSalakāpurusa-carita belong throughout to mythology or epic poetry, the Sthavirāvali-carita contains the life-stories of the Elders (Sthaviras, Theras), i.e. the disciples of Mahāvīra, whose names and sequence in accordance with the unanimous tradition of the Svetāmbaras may be regarded as historical. It is true that the stories by themselves alone seldom contain any historical nucleus. Hemacandra took them from earlier works of legendary lore and commentaries, especially those of Haribhadra. Frequently enlivened by proverbs and colloquialisms of the common people the stories reveal clearly their popular origin.” (History of Indian Literature, Vol.-II, p. 507).
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