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Shri Ashtapad Maha Tirth - II
and purva. Thus, in order to estimate the period of Rushabhdev, firstly we have to precisely define and understand the unit purva and dhanushya. Ashtapad Research International Foundation (ARIF) has prepared several Granth volumes, and one of them from Shri Hemchandracharya M.S (- 1100AD) as presented in Figure 2 suggests that Bhagwan Rushabhdev had been travelling all over for a period of one lakh years. Though the shlokas (sutras) of this Granth too do not throw any light on the period of Bhagwan Rushabhdev from present, but to some extent it gives an idea that he lived for at least one lakh years as a monk (cf. text in Figure 2). However, the shlokas of this Granth do not refer the unit purva and therefore the question of estimating the period of Bhagwan Rushabhdev still remains open.
Period of Bhagwan Rushabhdev
अह भगवं भवमहणो, पूव्वाणमणूणगं सयसहस्सं । अणउपुव्वीं विवहरीऊणं, पत्तो अठ्ठावयं सेलं ॥ ४३३ ॥
अठ्ठावयंमि सेले, चउदस भत्तेण सो महरिसीणं । दसहिं सहस्सेहिं समं, निव्वाणमणुत्तरं पत्तो ॥ ४३४ ॥
निव्वाणं चिइगागिई, जिणस्स इरवाग सेसयाणं च ।
सकहा थूभर जिणहरे, जाहग तेणाहि अम्मिति ।। ४३५ ॥ अर्थात् संसार के दुःखो का अन्त करनेवाले भगवान ऋषभदेव संपूर्ण एक लाख वर्षों तक पृथ्वी पर विहार करके अनुक्रम अष्टापद पर्वत के ऊपर पहुंचे । वहाँ छ उपवास के पश्चात दस हजार मुनिगण के साथ निर्वाण को प्राप्त हुए । जहाँ भगवान ने निर्वाण प्राप्त किया था वहाँ देवो ने स्तूप बनाए और भरत चक्रवर्ती ने चोवीस तीर्थंकरों के वर्ण एवं परिमाण के समान सपरिकर मूर्तियां स्थापित की और जिन मंदिर बनाया।
(Hemchandrasuriji M.S 1100AD) Fig. 2: Sutras 433-435 from the Granth of Shri Hemchandracharya Maharaj Sahab (-1100AD) suggests that Bhagwan Rushabhdev had been moving over the Earth for a period of 1 lakh years.
In this context we discussed the traditional historic unit koda-kodi with many old people, both intellectuals and common folk, including non-Jain and particularly tribal in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. The outcome of the discussions was almost similar to that was taught to me in a Jain Paathshala during my childhood. The units of order of magnitudes in the past (perhaps until 2600 years before present) were defined as follows.
Koda=1000; Kode=100; Kodi=10 In fact we cannot say the above proposed units of magnitudes are very precise and correct, and the people were aware of such numbers because until 650 AD the 'zero' itself was not discovered. As we all are aware that Brahmagupta, around 650AD, was the first to formalize arithmetic operations using the 'zero'. Thus, on the other hand, the possibility of application of koda-kodi to interpret large number cannot be ignored. The number 1000 or more, of course, was very large number few hundred years back. In any case it appears that the unit koda-kodi requires appropriate defining with precise understanding. Meanwhile we proceed, considering that the above findings may lead us to the path of discovering Ashtapad. In the twenty-first century the 'zero' is so familiar that to talk about it seems like much ado about nothing. But it is the precise understanding and working with this ‘nothing' that has allowed New Techniques to discover Ashtapad
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