Doctrine of Liberation in Indian Religion

Author(s): Shivkumarmuni
Publisher: Munshiram Manoharlal Publisher's Pvt Ltd New Delhi

Page 23

THE JAINA TRADITION
whether these references refer to a historical person. But the Jaina tradition unanimously regards him as the originator of the Jaina path to Liberation.
Among the successors of Rşabha, the Brahmanical Purāņas mention Sumatinātha. The twenty-second Tīrthankara, Aristaneminātha, is related to Krsna in legends.21
Parsyanātha : About the historicity of twenty-third Tirthankara, Pārsvanātha, however, there is some evidence. The Jaina tradition holds that he flourished 250 years before Vardhamana Mahāvīra. This would suggest eighth century B.C. as the date of Pārsvanātha.
Traditional biographies of Pārsvanātha tell us that he was born as the son of King Aśvasena and his queen Vämā in Banaras (Vārāṇasi). He lived the life of a householder for thirty years after which he became an ascetic. Through a course of ascetic austerity he attained omniscience (kevalajñana). Having preached his religion for about seventy years he attained nirvana at the age of 100 years at a place called Sammeta Sikhara in Bihar22
The teaching of Pārsvanātha is called Cāujjāma-dhamma (Cāturyama-dharma) or the doctrine of four-fold restraint. The four rules included in this category are the following : (1) ahimsä (non-killing), (2) satya (truthful speech), (3) asteya (non-stealing) and (4) aparigraha (non-possession of worldly goods).
The existence of the followers of Pārsvanātha in the sixth century B.C. is proved by several passages in the Pali canonical texts. Hermann Jacobi has already drawn attention to these passages.23 The Pali texts refer to the doctrines of Nirgranthas. Mahāvīra is referred to as Nātaputta (Jõātņputra) becausc he belonged to Nāta (jñātr) clan,24 and his parents were the followers of Pārsvanātha's ethical tradition.25
We come across many references in the early Buddhist canonical literature to Nirgrantha Nātaputta (Mahāvīra). In the Anguttaranīkaya: it is stated :
“The Nigantha Nātaputta ... knows and sees all things, claims perfect knowledge and faith ... teaches the annihilation by austerities of the old karman, and the prevention by inactivity.
21 See S.B. Deo, History of Jaina Monachism, p. 59. 22. Kalpasūtra, SBE, vol. XXII. pp. 271-75. 23. See Jaina Śūtras, SBE, vol. XLV, Introduction, p. xv ff. 24. Cf. Acārāmgasutra, ed. by Sri Ātmārāmaji Mahārāja, Ludhiana, 1964, p. 1373. 25. Cf. Ācārāmgasūtra, p. 1370.