Antiquity of Jainism

Author(s): Mahaveer Saran Jain
Publisher: Mahaveer Saran Jain

Page 23

mankind into six classes, and of these, the third class contained the Nigganthas. GoSala, probably, would not have ranked them as a separate class of mankind if they had recently come into existence. He must have regarded them as members of a very
important and at the same time an old sect. 3. The Majjhima Nikaya records a dispute between
Buddha and Sakdal, the son of a Nirgrantha. Sakdal was not himself a Nirgrantha. Now, when a famous controversialist, whose father was a Nirgrantha, was a contemporary of Buddha, the Nirgrantha sect could scarcely have been founded during Buddha's life
time. 4. The existence of Parsva's Order in Mahavira time is
proved by the reported disputes between the followers of Parsvanatha and those of Mahavira. The followers of Parsvanatha, who did not fully recognize Mahavira as their spiritual guide, existed during Mahavira life-time. A sort of compromise has been affected between the two sections of the Jaina Sangha.
These arguments clearly show that Parsvanatha was a real historical figure. Very few facts of his life are, however, known. The Kalpasutra informs us that Parshva was the son of king Ashvasena of Varanasi (Banaras) and queen Vama.