Lord Mahavira and His Times

SR No.: 011080
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Kailashchandra Jain
Publisher: Motilal Banarasidas
Publication Year: 1974
Total Pages: 427
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 20 MB

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Lord Mahavira and His Times
six divisions of Avasarpini are known as Sushama-Sushamā, Sushama, Sushamā-Duhshamā, Duhshamā-Sushamā, Duhshamā and Duhshama-Duhshama. The six divisions of Utsarpini are Duhshama Duhshamā, Duhshamā, Duhshama-Sushama, Sushama-Duhshamā, Sushamā and Sushamā-Sushama. During each successive ara of Avasarpini Kala, the age, height, strength and happiness of the Tugalikas gradually declined. In all, fourteen Kulakaras (Manus) are said to have flourished during this period.
After the Kulakaras, twentyfour Tirthankaras appeared at certain intervals and preached the true religion for the salvation of the world. Their names are: (1) Rishabha, (2) Ajita, (3) Sambhava, (4) Abhinandana, (5) Sumati, (6) Padmaprabha, (7) Supārśva, (8) Chandraprabha, (9) Suvidhi or Pushpa, (10) Sitala, (11) Śreyāṁśa, (12) Vāsapūjya, (13) Vimala, (14) Ananta, (15) Dharma, (16) Sānti, (17) Kunthu, (18) Ara, (19) Malli, (20) Munisuvrata, (21) Nami, (22) Nemi, (23) Pārśva, and (24) Vardhamāna or Mahāvīra.
All Tirthankaras were Kshatriyas; Munisuvrata and Nami belonged to Harivamsa, and the remaining twentytwo to the Ikshvāku race. Malli, according to the Svetämbaras, was a woman, but this the Digambaras deny, for according to them no female can attain liberation. The interval in years between one Tirthankara and the other has been calculated. Pārsva's predecessor, Arishtanemi, is stated to have died 84,000 years before Mahavira's Nirvana. Nami died 500,000 years before Arishta Nemi, Munisuvrata 11,00,000 years before Nami; the next intervals are 65,00,000 and 10,000,000 or a crore; the following intervals cannot be expressed in definite number of years, but are given in Palyopamas and Sugaropamas, the last interval being one crore of crores of Sagaropamas. The length of the life and height of the Tirthankaras are in proportion to the length of the interval.
Besides twelve Universal monarchs1 (Chakravartis), nine
1. (1) Bharata, (2) Sagara, (3) Madhavā, (4) Sanatakumāra, (5) Śanti, (6) Kunthu, (7) Araha, (8) Subhauma, (9) Padma, (10) Harishena, (11) Jayasena, and (12) Brahmadatta.
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