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History of Jainism with Special Reference to Mathurā
life of an ascetic for long. He became a kevalin under a dadhiparņa tree294 at Ratnapura after undertaking penance for two years.295
According to the Jaina tradition, his height was 45 poles and he lived for 1,000,000 common years.296 His complexion has been described as golden.297 His first ganadhara and äryā were Arista and Arthaśivā respectively.298 He attained moksa in the kāyotsarga posture 299 on Samet Sikhara.300
śāntinātha - the sixteenth tīrthamkara
Sāntinātha was the sixteenth tirthamkara. According to the Svetāmbara tradition, he was born at Gajapura; but the Digambara tradition holds that he was born at Hastinapura.301 His father Visvasena was the king of Hastinapura and his mother's name was Acirā.302 According to the Jaina tradition, Säntinātha descended for incarnation from the heaven Sarvārthasiddha.303 He led a happy married life and ruled for long. According to the Jaina tradition, Sāntinātha was a cakravartin who ruled the whole of India for 25,000 years.304 Subsequently, he took to asceticism. He became a kevalin under a nandi tree305 at Hastinapura after one year's hard penance.306
According to the Jaina tradition, his height was 40 poles and he lived for
294. OISJ, pp. 66-9; JPV, p. 107. 295. JPV, p. 107. 296. OISJ, pp. 66-9. 297. Ibid.; ERE, VII, p. 466. 298. Ibid., pp. 66-70. 299. Ibid., p. 66. 300. TSPC, III, p. 161; JPV, p. 107. 301. JAA, I, p. 15. 302. TSPC, III, pp. 299-302; JPV, p. 108. 303. OISJ, pp. 66-70. 304. JPV, p. 108. 305. Ibid.; OISJ, pp. 66-70. 306. Ibid., p. 108.
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