________________
Historical Origin & Ontological Interpretation of Arhat Pārsva's Assoc.
afterwards became a follower of the (Nirgrantha) śramana. Possibly he is the same Kesi who had had the historical meeting with Gautama, the ganadhara of Mahavira, in Śrävasti, as reported in the Uttaradhyayanasūtra (23).15
In none of these references to Pärśva, to his teachings, and to his followers do we find any reference to the upasarga of Kamatha to Pāršva, nor do we meet with any specific reference to, and explanation of Pārsva's association with Dharana, the lord of the Nägas. This association is first met with in the images of Pārsva from Mathură (c. 1st or 2nd and 3rd centuries A.D.); also in an early much corroded bronze from Causa hoard (c. 2nd-3rd cent. A.D.), and in an early metal image of Parsva in the Prince of Wales Museum which I have assigned to c. 2nd-1st century B.C. But there is no evidence that the images of Parsva or any other Tirthankaras existed in the age of Mahävira and his ganadharas. No mention of a worship of, or to the temples of Jinas is found in the older strata of the available Nirgrantha canon.
In the Nirgrantha canonical literature, we for the first time come across references to the previous births of each of the 24 Tirthankaras in the Samavāyānga-sūtra (157/11-14). Accordingly, in the previous birth, the soul of Pärśva was called Sudarsana. PK does not refer to any previous birth of Pārsva and only says that Pārsva descended into his mother's womb from the Pränata Kalpa (heaven). The Digambara cosmographical work, the Trilokaprajñapti (c. mid-6th cent. A.D.), too, follows this tradition. According to Ravişena, the author of the Padmacarita (A.D. 676) (20.35), Pārsva descended from Vaijayanta heaven. In his previous birth he was called Ananda, son of Vitasoka Damara of Saketa. Modi in his Introduction to his edition of the Digambara Padmakirti's Pāsanabacariü (S.S. 999/A.D. 1077) has given an interesting Table (on pp. 33-36) giving comparisons of the main details of the nine previous existences of Pärśva from the Uttarapurana of Gunabhadra (c. mid9th cent. A.D.), the Apabhramsa Mahapuraṇa of Puspadanta (c. 865-874.), SriPārsvanatha-carita of Vädirājā (A.D. 1025), and Siri-Pasanabacariü of Padmakirti (A.D. 1077) Digambara authors all -next Siri-Päsanabacariya of Devabhadra Süri (Sve. A.D. 1111), Hemacandra's Trişaşṭisalākāpuruşacarita (Sve., 3rd quarter of the 12th century), Pasacariya of Kavi Raidhů (Dig., 15th cent. A.D.) and Pārsvanathacaritra of Hemavijaya Gani (Śve., 17th cent. A.D.). The differences among them are only on a few points and are mainly about the names of the parents of Pärsva's previous births or about the heavens from which Pärśva descended in different births and the names of Parsva in some of his earlier births. Modi has given an analysis of the various details in the life of Pärsvanätha as reported in the above texts. The study shows that there are two different traditions concerning the life of
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
31
www.jainelibrary.org
