Comprehensive History Of Jainism

SR No.: 022803
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Aseem Kumar Chatterjee
Publisher: Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt Ltd
Publication Year: 2000
Total Pages: 360
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 28 MB

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A COMPREHENSIVE HISTORY OF JAINISM
connection, the extremely valuable information provided by the Pāli texts.
According to different original texts, the Master visited, during his career as a teacher, the following places. Kāmpilypura,58 Sāketa, 59 Mathurā,60 Hastinapura,61 Vardhamanapura, 62 Amalakappā,63 Purimatāla, 64 Kākandī,65 Polāsapura, 66 Vārāṇasī,67 Kauśāmbī,68 Seyaviyā,69 Kajangalā,o etc. The later texts and commentaries mention a large number of places Mahāvīra visited, but it is extremely doubtful whether their evidence is of any real value. The canonical account of Mahāvīra's visit to Hastināpura is probably based on imagination since this city, according to the Purāņas," was destroyed by the Ganges during the reign of Nicakṣus, a great-grandson of Janamejaya II. The Jaina and Buddhist writers had some real weakness for cities of epic fame, and that is why cities like Hastināpura and Indraprastha occur so frequently in their writings, although both these disappeared from the map of India long before the birth of the Buddha and Mahāvīra. Frequent references to the Kauravas and Ikşvākus in the Jaina and Buddhist texts are also indirect evidence of the influence of the two epics on these works.
The Pāli texts also directly confirm the evidence of the Jaina canonical texts regarding the wanderings of Mahāvīra. The Upālisutta of the Majjhima Nikāyarefers to Nāthaputta's visit to Nāland, with a large company of Jaina monks. Another Pāli text the Samyutta,73 connects this place with Mahāvīra. We have already seen that according to the Kalpasūtra the Teacher spent forty rainy seasons at Rājagļha and Nālandā. It was at Nālandā, as we have already noticed, that Mahāvīra had met Gośāla for the first time. Mahāvīra's intimate association with Rājagļha is proved by repeated references to this city everywhere in the Jaina canon. The Majjhima Nikāya (no 14) also mentions that Rājagrha was a popular centre for Jainas, and that there were numerous Jainas residing on mount Isigili (Rsigiri). The Pāli works also confirm the Jaina account of Mahāvīra's close link with Vaiśālī, with which both the Majjhima and Anguttara? connect Mahāvīra. It is extremely interesting to note that even among the Säkyas of Kapilavastu, there was an individual called Vappa who was a disciple of Mahāvīra. This is testified to by the evidence of the Anguttara.76 A place called Macchikāsaņda, according to the Samyutta," was visited by Mahāvīra with a great company of the Jainas.
The combined evidence of the Jaina and Buddhist texts leaves