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mentioned in Harisena's Kathakosa and Rajamalla's Jambusvamicarita. We know that the erecting of stupas on the relics of Buddha was a common practice among Buddhists. But this practice does not seem to be quite old. Though the mention of Buddha's relics and the erection of stupas is referred to in the Buddhist canonical text, the Mahāparinivvāna Sutta of the Digha Nikaya, Winternitz holds that the final redaction of this Sutta is of comparatively late date.' As a matter of fact, the cult of stupas does not seem to be in vogue till the time of Aśoka. Later in the Nidanakatha (Section III), a non-canonical work, we are told that the first lay-disciple of Buddha received a few hairs from the Buddha, over which a shrine was erected. We also have a reference here to the erection of non-blinking shrine (animisacetiya).
2. The Life History of Malli
We come to Malli, the nineteenth Tirtaharikara of the Jains. There is nothing special about her except that she was a female, according to Svetämbaras, and a male according to Digambaras. It appears that the Svetämbaras are not very happy about Malli being a Tirthankara. According to them, as she practised duplicity (maya) in her previous life, she was born as a female Tirthankara. It is stated that in the birth of prince Mahabala, after joining the ascetic order together with six associates, though all of them decided to practise certain accepted austerities, the ascetic Mahabala, in order to acquire more merit, practised more austerities than the rest. According to religious precepts, although it was a meritorious deed, yet it was considered a sort of double dealing on the part of Mahabala. Consequently, Mahabala has to be born as a woman, supposed to be lower in grade than a man. It is also noteworthy that the Tirthankara hood of a female is considered one of the ten wonders (accharia) of the world. (Thānā, 10). The commentator Abhayadevasüri, commenting on the Mallinaya, the 8th chapter of the Naya, has stated: Though Malli is a feminine, she is hailed by a masculine word arahā (p.114). In the text of Naya (p.117), the divine gods hail her as Bhagavan loga-näha. Then the author of Lokaprakāśa (32.1007) has stated that only a male is entitled to be a Tirthankara. The Kalpasūtra has provided us with the life history of Mahavira, Parsva, Nemi and Rṣabha, and not of Malli.
3. The Life
History of Aritthanemi
The life-history of Arişṭanemi or Nemi, the twenty-second Tirthankara is extremely sketchy. It is important as this legend is related to the story of Krsna Vasudeva in Jain tradition. Aristanemi was Kṛṣṇa Vasudeva's cousin. The biographical account of Aristanemi is given in the Kalpasūtra of Bhadrabähu, Later, Kṛṣṇa Vasudeva left Mathura and migrated to Western India where the city of Dvaraka was made a centre of activities of the yadavas. Gradually, Jain monks also made the western India a centre of their activities. It is significant to note that out of 63 Great Men (salakäpurusa) of the Jains, 27 (i.c. 9 Baladeva, 9 Vasudeva and 9 Prativasudeva) are related to Krsna only, which indicates the dominance of Krsna mythology in the world history of the Jains. According to Jacobi, the formation of the Jain Harivamsapurana goes back
1. Winternitz, ibid,41
2. The Samavaya and the Cauppannamahāpurisacariya of Silanka enumerate only 54 Mahāpuruşa excluding 9 Baladevas. Bhadreśvara in his Kahavali, however, adds 9 Narada making the number 72.
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