Jain Journal 1989 07

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

Page 29

JAIN JOURNAL
views, Vaisali and Bengal were chosen by Mahavira and his followers for the aforesaid purpose.
Mahavira, who was born at Kundagrama in the vicinity of Vaisalinagara, spent earlier part of his life in the towns and villages as well as in monastic recluses in hilly regions. We have it from some Jaina canonical texts, corroborated by Buddhist texts as well, that Mahavira personally visited the Radhadesa and possibly also Suhmadesa to its south in connection with his religious preachings. According to some sceptic scholars, the great Jaina preacher did not actually travel in Bengal. Now, let us examine the correctness of the latter view in the following paragraph.
According to the Jaina traditions, recorded in their canonical texts like the Ayārānga Sutta, Kappa Sutta and Bhagavai Sutta, Mahavira came to Angadesa, Radhadesa and Suhmadesa and spent as many as 18 years in preaching his religious ideas. In Lesson 3, Lecture 8 of Book I of the Ayārānga Sutta (ed. Jacobi, Trans.) it is said that while travelling in the pathless country of the Ladhas (Radhas) in Vajjabhumil and Subbhabhumi, Mahavira was encountered with various difficulties and oppressions for the people of the said tracts attacked him with sticks, made the dogs bite him and used abusive languages against him. Sometimes it was difficult for him in reaching a village. In the long run, however, Mahavira became victorious and brought many people of the Ladha country to his fold. It has further been recorded in the aforesaid text that the mendicants (Nirgranthas or Jainas) used to take rough food
1 Vajjabhumi and used to move about with long and strong poles in order to drive away the dogs so attacking. As to the presence of the Jaina medicants in that part of country in circa 3rd century B.C. (the date of the Sūtra) we may construe that either Jainism existed there before the arrival of Mahavira and he only increased the number of his followers, or the description had nothing to do with Mahavira's travel in that land and probably related to the treatment meted only to some Jaina monks at a subsequent period. While the former conclusion cannot be wellsubstantiated at the present stage of our knowledge, the latter view is unwarranted. To my mind it appears that the Jaina monks came to the Radha country even before the travel of Mahavira in Bengal, and he went there in order to stregthen the number of his adherents. Were the Jaina mendicants, mentioned above, the followers of căturyāma
1 The Ain-i-Akbari refers to a diamond mine in the Sarkar Madaran. Vajrabhumi means 'land of diamond'.