Indian Antiquary Vol 43

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 125

JUNE, 1914.]
THE DATE OF MAHAVIRA
121
era as having been in reality founded by a king Vikramaditya of Ujjayini. For Kielhorn" has long ago proved that the connexion of the era commencing 57 B. O, with a king Vikramâditya of Ujjayini, who perhaps never existed, was not established till a very late date, the first mention of Vikrama Sa ivat' being made in an inscription at Dholpur from Samv. 898-A.D. 842; and the oldest literary mentions of Vikrama in connexion with the era seem to be those afforded by Dhanapâla's Pâiyalacchi (V. Sanv. 1029 A.D. 972) and Amitagati's Subhasita-samdoha (V. Saiv. 1050-A. D. 994),10 If we take these facts into account, it seems probable that the verses cannot at least in their present shape be so very old dating perhaps from the 8th or 9th century A. D. But this is rather a suggestion, and their main content the enumeration of kings between the death of Mahavira and the commencement of the era beginning in 57 B. C.-may very well have existed long before this era was in any way connected with the rather mythical king Vikramâditya of Ujjayinî.
As for the statements made in them, they are of a somewhat mysterious nature. Pâlaka, King of Avanti, is here mixed up with the Nanda and Maurya dynasties and Pasyamitra of Magadha, and with several rulers of Western India, among whom Gardabhilla is elsewhere stated to have been the father of Vikramaditya, and Saka a prince belonging to the nonIndian dynasties of North Western India. Jacobi11 has already shown that the introduction of King Pâlaka of Avanti into this list, which must from the beginning have been intended to give the names of the kings of Magadha, as Mahavira belonged to that country, seems highly suspicious. Who was this Pâlaka? No doubt, he is meant to be identical with Pâlaka, son and successor of Pradyota, King of Avanti, and brother of Vasavadattâ, queen of the famous King Udayana of Vatsa.12 As this Udayana was a contemporary of Mahavira and Buddha, it is quite possible that his brother-in-law, Pâlaka, may have succeeded to the throne in a time nearly coinciding with the death of Mahâvira But there is absolutely no connexion between him and the dynasty of the Siśunâgas, ruling in Magadha at and after the time of Mahavira. However, I think it possible that his appearance in this list may give us a rather valuable clue to the question concerning the provenance of these verses. For in their present shape they are, as mentioned above, late and composed at a time when the kingdom of Magadha had absolutely ceased to have any connexion with or interest for Jain writers; but from the fact that out of 470 years recorded not less than 293 are filled up by the names of actual rulers of Magadha, we might undoubtedly infer that they were derived from ol ler sources actually giving the right names of the Magadha kings. Now the list finishes with kings of Ujjayinî, Gardabhilla being one such, and his son Vikramaditya being the most famous of them all; and, as the Jains already in the centuries immediately preceding our era played an important rôle in the west of India, and had many connexions with Ujjayinî, they probably did not find it at all unsuitable to begin this list with a king of that famous town as well to end it with one. Moreover, we may perhaps rightly conclude, that the connexion of the Jains with Magadha and Eastern India really ended with the downfall of the Mâuryas. From the confused tales of the Buddhists as well as from other and more certain sources,1
9 Ante, XX. 397 ff.
10 On the slight differences in fixing the date (A. D. 993 or 994) of. Schmidt and Hertel Z. D.M.G. 59. 297 sq.
11 Kalpasitra, p. 8 sq.
12 This is expressively stated by Merutunga, who tells us that Pradyota died the same night as Mahavira according to Bhau Daji, J. B. B. R.A.S. IX.,147 sq. Whether he is the one mentioned in the Mrechakatika is not likely to be discovered. But, as there is nothing in that play connecting him with Udayana, I do not deem it very probable. However, some light may perhaps be thrown upon this question, when the text of the Carudatta becomes available in the Trivandrum series.
188 sq.
13 Cp. V. A. Smith, Early History of India, p.