________________
144
here entirely neglect. All the Srawaks here ought to be Anabratas, which order requires their observing the five great virtues lately mentioned, as far as consistant with the existence of society; for what I have called chastity, is a total abstinence, and poverty implies the total neglect of worldly concerns; and these rules observed with rigour, it is evident, are incompatible with the existence of society. The Srawaks worship their 24 great teachers, usually here called Avatars, although Tirthangkar seems to be the most proper name; and also some of their most celebrated disciples, among whom 11 attendants on Mahavira are the most conspicuous; but of these Gautama is by far the most eminent and seems to be as remarkable here as Gometrai is in the south. Mr. Colebrooke in treatise on the Jain, published in the Asiatic Researches says, that this person is only called Gautama on account of his being descended from that person, and such may be the case, but the Yati at Behar, and Govinda of Patna assured me, that they consider the disciple of Mahavira as the son of Mayadevi, and as the author of the Indian Metaphysics. In their temples they have images of all these persons which they worship; but their devotions are more usually addressed to what are called the representations of their feet. The places where all these personages were begotten (garbha) where they were born (janma), where they resigned worldly pleasures (diksha), where they began to meditate (gyangr), and where they departed from. this world (nirvana) are considered holy, and are frequented by pilgrims, and many such have been mentioned in topography. All the 24 Tirthangkars are said to have been sons of kings, except Nemnath, and he was of the royal family of the Moon, being descended from Jadu, the ancestor of Krishna. Vasupujya another of these Tirthangkars, died at Champanagar in the reign of Raja Dadhibahan, who lived after Karna. These circumstances connected with the reforms of the Pauranik chronology given by Major Wilford and Mr. Bentley, will serve in some measure to show, what reductions will be necessary on the extravagance of Jain chronology. The Yati of Behar says, that the best account of their Avatars and kings is to be found in a book called Bhagawat Sutra consisting of 45,000 couplets (sloka), and that the best account of their places of pilgrimage is called the Tara Tambul. Much historical matter is said also to be contained in their Purans totally different from the books of the orthodox called by these names, although both have probably been derived from some common original, now lost. I am assured by Govinda, that the Srawaks here frequently study the same Purans with the orthodox Hindus, viz., Ambhoruha, Vishnu, Bhagawanta, Narada, Markandeya, Agnidaivata, Bhavishya, Brahmabaibarta, Lingga, Varah, Skandha, Bamana, Matsya, Kurma, Garura, Brahma, and Itihasa. The Swetambar also acknowledge the laws
Jain Education International
JAIN JOURNAL
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
