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170
Aspects of Brahmanical Influence on the Jaina Mythology
the founder of the kingdom of Mithila, displays a definite sign of similarity with Visala of the Brahmanical tradition 92 Although the full identity of the above personages cannot be stressed on the basis of the present data alone, yet in view of Jinasena's usual disregard for viewing a matter in its historical and chronological perspective, it 18s not unlikely that the persons belonging to the various dynasties and sub-lines should have been strung together anachronistically in a single genealogical thread. Hence it will not be unreasonable to hold that the terms Mula and Sala are the suffixless and prefixless adaptations of Brahmanical Mulaka and Visala repectively
How lightly the Jaina authors have treated the pedigree of the royal personages is best illustrated by the divergent representations of king Vasu Uparıcara Vimalasur, for instance, has set forth him as the son of an Ikṣvāku king Ajita of Ayodhya by his wife named Surakāntā 03 Ravişena, on the other hand, makes him son of Tayatı," the names of whose lineage and wife have been kept the same as those of Anita's Another school is represented by Gunabhadra and Puspadanta9 who introduce Vasu as the son of king Viśvāvasu by his queen SriThey, however, differ on the name of his capital, which the former gives as Svastikavat? and the latter, as Sravasti (Sava
mali
92 He was a descendant of Nabhāgarışta (also known as Nãbhānedistha), son of Manu, and is credited with the establishment of the Vaisala Dynasty, Vayup 86 3-17, Vis p, 4 1 48-49, AIHT, pp 96-97, 147. 03 श्रसि प्रोज्झाहिवई इक्खागुकुलुब्भवो राया । नामेण महासत्तो अजिओ, भज्जा य तस्स सुरकन्ता । पुत्तो य वसु-कुमारो,
-VPC, 11 7-8
94 विनीताया महानामीदिक्ष्वाकु कुलभूपण । ययातिर्नाम राजास्य सुरकान्तेति anfunt | agafarshJFIFY..
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1
-RPC 11 13-14a
95 द्वीपेऽत्र भरते देशे धवले स्वस्तिकावती । पुर विश्वावसुस्तस्य पालको हरिवशज । देव्यस्य श्रीमती नाम्ना वसुरासीत्सुतोऽनयोः ।
-UP 67 257a-58
98 एत्येव खेत्ति सावत्यिपुरि । विस्सावसु रारणउ विमलजसु । तहु सिरिमइ afafa ga ay
-PMP LXIX 28 9-10
