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 129

JAINISM IN NORTH INDIA of Mahavira His mother Trsala was sister to Cetaka, king of Vaisali,who belonged to the Licchavi sect of the Kshatriyas, while on his father's side Mahavira was a Jnatrika himself. Here arises the difficulty that if Trisala was the Licchavi princess there is no reason why she should be called Videhadatta ? The possible explanation that can be given for this is that she was 80 called because she belonged to that part of the country which was originally known as Videha, and, as we have just remarked, Vaisali was the capital of Videha. Furthermore, in the words of Dr Raychaudhuri," the Vajjian confederation must have been organised after the fall of the royal houses of Videla Political evolution in India thus resembles closely the political evolution in the ancient cities of Greece, where also the monarchies of the Heroic age were succeeded by aristocratic republics "3 Moreover, in confirmation with other traditions this leads to a further surmise-that after the fall of the Videhans a section of them might also have been called the Licchavis. Thus there is nothing unnatural or out of the way if Trisala was called Videhadatta though she was a Licchava princess Now this Trisala was married to Siddhartha, who, according to the Jainas, was a follower of Parsva, the predecessor of Lord Mahavira. This naturally leads one to infer that either the royal family of the Licchavis was Jaina by faith or that it was socially so situated that it could take a member of the other Jaina royal family as a bridegroom for its princess. This incident alone warrants the conclusion that the Licchavis had a distinct sympathy and respect for the Jainas, but the literary and the historical traditions of the Jainas do not stop with this solitary incident alone We further know that Cellana (also called Vedehi), the youngest of the seven daughters of King Cetaka, was married to Bimbisara, the great Saisunaga of Magadha, and that both Bimbisara and Cellana were great Jainas themselves 1 Jacobi, Kalpa-Satra, p. 118 ?"In the opinion of several scholars Cetakn was a Licchavi But the secondary names of his sister (Vidchndatta) and daughter (Vedchi) probably indicate that he was a Vidchan domiciled Gt Vesiil"--Raychaudhun, op cit, p 78, n 2 Ibid, p 7G "In the time of Buddha, and for many centuries afterwards, the people of Vaisal were called Liechavis, and in the Trilandasesha the names of Liccharz, Videh, and Timbhukta have been gren as synonymous"-Cunningham op , at , p 500 qafe as T.-Apasyaha-Sutra, p 676 "Bimbus ira had a son known as Vedehi-Putto Ajatsatta in the canonical Pal texts, and as Kanika by the Jainas The later Buddhist tradition makes him & son of the 88