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Like the birth-consecration, the nirvāņa-consecration was also celebrated by heavenly gods. The heavenly gods descended to the Mt. Aștāpada and waited upon the Tirtharkara. A pyre (ciigā) was prepared out of gosisa sandlwood, the Tirtharkara was given a bath of ksirodaka water, his body was anointed with gosisa sandalwood paste and then he was elegantly dressed with beautiful cloth and ornamented properly. Then the body was placed in a specially prepared palanquin which was put on pyre and was set fire to. After the body was burnt and the fire extinguished, the bones (sakaha) were shared by heavenly gods, the upper sothern portion was given to one, the upper left to another, the lower southern to the third and lower left to the fourth, and whatever remained was shared by other gods. Then the memorial mounds (ceiathubha) were built in memory of the Tirtharkara. After returning to their respective places the heavenly gods preserved the bones and worshipped them.'
This is a brief biographical sketch of Usabha, the first and foremost Tirtharkara of the Jains. The emphasis here seems to be on the celebration of the birth-consecration (janmakalyāṇaka) which is said to be attended by divine gods and goddesses. Obviously, we know very little about the happenings of his life. The author is silent even on some important events of life such as what made him relinquish the worldly life and join the ascetic order? Whether he followed the religious preachings of his predecessors or founded the religion of his own? He must have travelled from place to place and initiated people into his faith, but no such reference is made. Then why did he choose the mountain Astāpada (Kailas), supposed to be the abode of Brāhmaṇic God Siva, for practising penance and attaining nirvana? These are some of the points which need further research.
These descriptions consist of supernatural events, obviously, to make the hero exceptionally great and super-human. Such is not the case only with a Tirtharikara of the Jains, but also with Buddha, Jesus Christ, Judah or Jarthustra and others. It is also remarkable that the description of one Tirtharikara is equally applicable to other Tirtharikaras. It has been stated, for example, the description of birth-consecration of Malli could be inserted from that of Usabha from the Jambu . At another place we are told to insert the description of birth-consecration of Usabha from that of Mahavira. It is also noteworthy that the pattern of the classical canonical biography of Tirtharkaras as stated in the Jambu, is not followed by other writers such as that of Kalpasūtra, a chapter of the Dasāsuyakkhandha, while dealing with the biography of the Tirtharkaras.
Another significant point in this connection is of erecting stūpas on the relics of a Tirtahrkara in the Jain tradition. It is mentioned with the Svetāmbaras and not with the Digambaras, though the ancient Jain stüpa at Mathura which was common to both the sects, is
1. Jambu, 2. 30-33; Āva Cu, 222-23 has the same description. In VH, 185. 1-19, Indra was given the bones, the kings the other parts of the body, and some people and the Brāhmaṇas preserved fire. If anybody suffered from bodily pain he was said to be cured by the application of ashes. The fire was conserved by adding sandalwood to it. The relics of Buddha were shared by various persons on which the memorial stupas were erected in Vaiśāli, Kapilavastu, Pāvā, Kuśinārā and other places. 2. jaha usahassa jammaņussavam, navaram mihiläe Kumbhassa Pabhāvaie abhilāvo samjoeyavvo-jáva Nandisaravaradive mahima, Naya, 8.94; Dhammakahanuoga, 1,28 3. See Ava Cu, 136. Also see the description of the parts of the body of Mahavira (Oväiya, 16; Dhammakahānuoga, 1,80-81); compare with that of Usabha and Vajjajangha in the VH. 162, 1-7 and 175,29-176-6 respectively.
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