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EPITHETS OF LORD MAHAVIRA
IN EARLY JAINA CANONS
By
DALSUKH MALVANIA, AHMEDABAD
There were many groups of the Sramaņas, each of them having a leader. This fact is proved sufficiently by the Pali Pitakas. All such leaders are given the following common epithets in the Pali canon.
. “सङ्घी चेव, गणी च, गणाचरियो च, आतो, यसस्सी, तित्थकरो, साधुसम्मतो बहुजनस्स, रत्तम्, चिरपब्बजितो, अद्घगतो, वयोअनुप्पत्तो" -दीघ सामञफलसुत्त।
In addition to these common epithets in Pāli canon Lord Mahavira, the leader of the group of Nigganthas, was further given such epithets as; " निगण्ठो, आवुसो नाटपुत्तो सब्बञ सब्बदस्सावी, अपरिसेसं आणदस्सनं पटिजानाति, चरतो च मे तितो च सुत्तस्स च जागरस्स च सत्वतं समितं आणदस्सनं पच्चुपठितं ति"-मज्झिमनिकाय, देवासुतं.
In this paper I want to discuss the epithets of Lord Mahavira found in some of the texts of the Jain canonical literature. As these texts are not of the same time, I shall take them one by one according to their chronological order. This procedure will help us to know as to how a cluster of epithets was developed in the course of time, as to how the final one was arrived at, and as to how some of the common epithets became the property of a particular group-leader. The discussion will also make it clear that the epithets given to Lord Mahavira in the Pali Pitakas do not belong to the early period of time. Again it will prove the Acaranga part I to be earlier than the Pali Pitakas. It will also be clear from the discussion that as time passed on, some of these epithets acquired the status of names having lost their status of adjectives.
The epithets, viz. Arihanta, Arhat, Buddha Jina, Vira, Mahavira and Tathāgata were not the sole property of a leader of a particular sect whether Brahmin or Sramapa. But it seems that they became popular amongst the Śramanic sects especially for Mahavira, Gosāla and Buddha with the result that they were dropped by the Brahmin sects for their leaders. Similarly, the term Buddha (139, 177, 882, 204) was used for an intelligent person but after Gautama it became the sole property of Buddhism and became the special name of Gautama. The term Buddha, though used as an epithet in early days for Mahavira, does not denote him in later period. The terms, Vira and
