________________
328
Dr. Charlotte Krause : Her Life & Literature
Vīra, at the age of 100 years, the date of his birth roughly comes to 880 B.C. and that of his death to 780 B.C. He is generally admitted to be an historical personality. Mahāvīra's well-known data are, of course, history, though their accurate placing is still an object of discussion.
(4) The names of the Tīrtharkaras' fathers and mothers, out of which those of Munisuvrata are quoted in our texts ( st. 5 of the pertinent stavana).
(5) The dynasties to which they belonged ( loc. cit.). (6) Their birth-places ( loc. cit.). (7) The countries to which they belonged ( loc. cit. ).
( 8 ) Their colour : 16 being of brown, and each two of white, black, red and bluish complexion. Munisuvrata's 'śyāmavarna' is referred to in the text just quoted ( st. 6).
(9) The characteristic body-marks, such as Munisuvrata's tortoise mark ( loc. cit. st. 6 ) or Pārsva's snake mark.
(10) The body-height ( for Munisuvrata loc. cit. st. 6). (11) Biographical items of their previous existences.
In our texts, nine previous existences of Munisuvrata are mentioned ( loc. cit. st. 3-4), re. which the individual treatise infra may be referred. The Sankheśvara-Pár vanātha-stavana ( st. 3-4 ) contains an allusion to Pārsvanātha's former lives in the shape of a reference to ‘Kamatha’, Pārsvanātha's hostile brother in his existence as Marubhūti, a minister's son. In that existence, which happened aeons age, Kamatha killed Marubhūti. Subsequently, both brothers were re-born in various parallel existences, and each time, the incarnation of Kamatha hated and finally killed that of Marubhūti. In Marubhūti's final existence as Pārsvanātha, Kamatha was incarnated as Katha, a Hindu ascetic, who, while practising the five-fire-penance, once very nearly burnt a snake, which was hidden in one of the logs. By chance, Pārśva, then Prince of Benares, appeared, and, aware of the plight of the snake by his supernatural knowledge, rescued the latter. Katha resented the interference, and
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
