Jain Journal 1994 07

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

Page 25

OHIRA : THE 24 BUDDHAS AND THE 24 TIRTHANKARAS
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that numerous buddhas appear at the same time in numerous worlds to preach their law in their assigned areas.43
The 24 tirthankaras of the Jainas thus emerge as a part of the
zed picture of the world and the time cycle of the Jainas. The 24 tirthańkaras who include Mahāvira himself as the 24th constitute a group of tirthañkaras who were born in Bharata in Jambūdvipa in the present avasarpint. This group of the 24 tirthařkaras has nothing to do with the other 9 groups of the 24 tirthankaras who were born in the other districts in the human regions in this present avasarpini. Mahāvīra is therefore a part of this mechanism, and has nothing to do with the other numerous tirthańkaras appearing in the eternal course of time. In other words, a group of the 24 tirthankaras is nothing but a mechanical unit in playing the functional role of tirthankaras in the mechanism of time and place in the Jaina universe, that is planned to explain the eternity of dharma-cakra of the Jainas.
Such being the case, there is no particular reason for the Jainas to fix the number of tirthańkaras to be 24. 24 is not particularly a favourite number of the Jainas. The 24 dandakas constitute the classes of fivas, which however are not likely associated with the number of tirthankaras. The number constituting a mechanical unit as such can be all right if it were 5 or 50, for instance. However, there are at least 9 tirthařkara images whose names are known in the canonical period. And there are some other tirthařkaras whose names are known in the canonical texts as aforementioned. The number of tirthankaras must be therefore 9 + X.
In front of the Jaina authorities in the 5th century A.D., there was an authoritative ready-made model of the past buddhas consisting of 7, 24, 27, 32 and 35. Among them, 24 is first fitting number for this formula "9 + X". So probably the then Jaina authorities chose 24 as the number for a group of tirthankaras. The then historical element must have therefore played an important role for the Jainas in adopting this number 24, for there is no other essential
43. For instance, the Sautrāntikas, see Abhidharmakosa: Loka 5.3.3, and Ui, H.
Ibid., v.4, p.222. Also see S. Mochizuki: Ibid. v.5, pp.4438-39