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70
History of Jainism with Special Reference to Mathurā
thirteenth year of his penance Mahāvīra retired to the northern bank of the river Rjupālikā outside Jrmbhikagrāma, a little known locality in eastern India, and attained the highest spiritual knowledge called kevala-jñāna. 178 He was now a kevalin (omniscient), a jina (conqueror) and mahāvīra (the great hero). 179 At this time Vardhamāna, now styled Mahāvīra or jina, was forty-two years old; and from this age he entered upon a new stage of life, i.e., the life of a religious teacher and the head of a sect called the Nirgranthas or 'free from fetters', a designation which was later replaced by the term Jainas or the followers of the jina. 180 Mahāvīra was a Nirgrantha monk and also a scion of the Jñātrka clan; therefore, his opponents, the Buddhist, called him Niggantha Natputta in Pāli canon,181 and Nirgrantho Jmatsputrah in Sanskrit. 182 This fact is now universally accepted that Niggantha Nātputta of the sacred books of the Buddhists was Vardhamāna Mahāvīra, who was a contemporary of Gautama Buddha.183
The acquisition of perfect knowledge entailed the continuation of a wandering mode of life and constant preaching of his doctrines to all kinds of men. He wandered for eight months in the year and spent four months of the rainy season in some famous town of eastern India. 184 According to the Jaina tradition, Mahāvīra spent one or more than one season at Campā, Vaiśālī, Rājgrha, Mithilā and Srāvastī.185 Mahāvīra propagated his faith for thirty years, 186 and during the span of his missionary activities he moved from place to place.187 The Harivamsa Purāna contains the names of the places
178. AOIU, p. 414; CHI, I, p. 159; AAHI, p. 85. 179. CHI, I, pp. 159-60; ibid., p. 85. 180. Ibid., p. 160; Ibid. 181. CHI, I, p. 160;ACHI, p. 101. 182. Ibid., p. 160. 183. Ibid. 184. AOIU, p. 414-15. 185. Ibid., p. 415. 186. LDJC, p. 24; JSS, p. 20; AAHI, p. 85; CHI, I, p. 160. 187. JAA, I, pp. 22-3; HJM, pp. 67-9.
