Jainism in North India

SR No.: 011067
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Chimanlal J Shah
Publisher: Longmans Green and Compny London
Publication Year: 1932
Total Pages: 66
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 3 MB

Page 108

MAHAVIRA AND HIS TIMES that Sthulabliadra himself was opposed to the Digambara insistence on nakedness, and that after him his disciple Mahagiri "revived the ideal practice of nakedness. He was a real ascetic and recognised that under Sthulabhadra's stay many abuses had crept into the order."1 In this mission of his Mahagiri was opposed by Suhastin, who was one of the leaders of the Jaina community under Mahagiri. According to the Svetambaras the origin of the great schism lies under the following circumstances : In the town of Rathavira there lived a man named Sivabhuti or Sahasramalla. Once his mother got angry with him and hence he left his house and became a Jaina Sadhu. It so happened that after his consecration as a monk the ruling prince gave him a valuable blanket, and he felt enamoured of it. Seeing this has Guru drew lus attention to it, and thenceforth he became all naked and started the Digambara sect of the Jainas. His sister Uttara also tried to follow in the footsteps of her brother, but Sivabhuti, thinking it to be unadvisable for women to remain naked, told her that a woman cannot get final liberation, The date put down by the Svetambaras for this schism is 609 years after Mahavira, and this comes to 139 years after the death of Vikrama, taking the traditional duration of 470 years as the period between Vikrama and the Nirvana of Mahavira. At least in their dates both the Digambara and the Svetambara traditions fully agree. The former puts 136 years and the later 139, after Vikrama, as the period for this great division in the Jaina church. In spite of this agreement about the date they do not agree as to the circumstances under which arose this great division. Both Jinacandra and Sivabhuti look more like fictitious than like true historical persons, because the annals of both the rival faiths disclaim the fact of any such person belonging to their division. This is why Nathuram Premi, the learned Digambara scholar, says: 1 Stevenson (Mrs), op at, p 73 * Ind, P 14 "I think that the divisions became marked from the time of Arya Mahigri and Arya-Suhastin," -Jhaveri, Nitana-Kalla. Intp 7 This is given in the 1974at of Upadhyaya Dharmasigara Of. Hitlel (H), op. at, pt >>, p. 15. stufe IRE ... Traty wywy.--Atasyaha-Sutra, p. 324. 'वद्याससमाई नबुन्नराई तझ्या सिद्धिं गयस्स वीरस्म / तो पोडियाण दिवो रह्योरपुरे समुप्पण्णा / / -Iord,p 323 "The origin of the Digambaras is attabuted to Swabkuti (A D. 83), by the Svetambans as due to a schism in the old Svetambara church ... Dasgupta, op. cit, i, p 170 69