Jain Journal 1969 01

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 26

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JAIN JOURNAL
while in the other the precious divine necklace is stated to be the reason for this war. There is thus a virtual similarity. The arrow of Cetaka has been described as an unfailing one in the Jaina tradition. The narration about it in the Buddhist tradition that none of their (Vajjigaņas) strokes failed is again indicative of a similarity.
The Jaina tradition attributes the defence of the city to the influence of the tope. Buddha says, “So long as the Vajjis respect the topes inside and outside the City they will prosper and suffer no harm.”
The Buddhist tradition does not give so systematic an account of the belligerants as the Jaina tradition has provided. The Buddhist tradition does not even casually refer to Cetaka, nine Mallakis, and nine Licchayis and the eighteen Republican kings. Both traditions acknowledge the use of manoeuvring for the conquest of the Vaisali.
According to the Jaina tradition, the battle is stated to have been fought in two parts :
1. An open battle for a fortnight.
2. Destruction of the ramparts.
The latter event seems to have taken considerable time. According to Radha Kumud Mookerji,71 this period can be taken as a minimum of 16 years. According to the Buddhist tradition, Vassakara stayed in Vaisali for three years, and sowed dissensions and disunity among the Licchavis. All this shows that the Buddhist tradition gives merely the posterior description of the war.
Kunika's queens and sons
The names of the three queens of Kunika are given in the Jaina tradition as Padmavati,72 Dharini73 and Subhadra.74 According to the Āvaśyaka Cūrņi, Kunika married eight princesses 75, but no cate
71 The Hindu Civilisation (Hindi edition), p. 189.
72 tassanam kuniyassa ranno padmavati namam devi.--Nirayavalika Sutra (Ed. by P. L. Vidya), p. 4.
78 tassanam kuniyassa ranno dharini namam devi.--Aupapatika Sutra (satika), sutra 7, p. 22.
74 Ibid., sutra 33, p. 144. 75 Avasyaka Curni, Vol. II, p. 167,