Jain Spirit 2004 10 No 20

Author(s): Jain Spirit UK
Publisher: UK Young Jains

Page 75

HISTORY 73
Kolpasutra.
The celebrated Uttaradhyayanasutra records a very moving conversation between Kesin, a follower of Parsva's church, and Indrabhuti, a disciple of Mahavir. In Kesin's words we learn that Parsva enjoined only four vows and allowed an upper- and under-garment. This conversation took place in the city of Sravasti where Kesin arrived, as we are told, with a large number of his associates. We further learn from this conversation between the two monks that there was no fundamental difference between the two teachers, Parsva and Mahavir, the only difference being that the law of Mahavir recognised five vows, one more than Parsva's. Also, while Parsva allowed the use of clothing, Mahavir himself went about naked. That Parsva's followers (called Samanas) were almost everywhere during Mahavir's lifetime is testified to by some other references to his followers in the older texts. The Bhagavati more than once refers to Parsva's followers. For example, we are confronted with a follower of Parsva called Kalasavesiyaputta, who at first expressed grave doubts regarding Mahavir's teachings. The Master, however, soon succeeded in converting him to his religion of fivefold vows. Later, in the same text we are told that the city of Tungiya was often visited by Parsva's followers. In this connection we came across the names of four monks belonging to Parsva's school. They are Kaliyaputta, Mehila, Kasava and Anamdarakkhiya. The Bhagavati records another interesting conversation between a follower of Parsva, called Gamgeya (Gangeya) and Mahavir at Vaniyagama, near Vaisali. This further testifies that even northern Bihar came under Parsva's influence. This is further corroborated by the fact that according to the celebrated Acharangasutra even Mahavir's parents, who lived near Vaisali, were themselves Parsva's followers. The importance of this statement of the Acharanga can hardly be overemphasised, for it shows that Mahavir himself grew up under the umbrella of Parsva's religion. The combined testimony of two texts, the Nayadhammakahoo and the Nirayavalika, proves that women were freely admitted
into Parsva's order. Parsva, who was a great rationalist, naturally bore no prejudice against the weaker sex and, unlike the Buddha, never hesitated in allowing women to embrace the ascetic life. In his boyhood Parsva had probably seen nuns belonging to various Brahamanical schools at kasi and therefore no Ananda was required to plead before him in favour of admitting women into the new order. One of the earliest canonical texts, the Sutrakrtanga, records a very interesting discussion between Indrabhuti and a follower of Parsva, called Udaya Pedhalaputta. Like Kesin and Gangeya, he too later accepted Mahavir's doctrine. The above discussion clearly shows that Parsva, who preached his new religion around 800 BC (250 years before Mahavir), succeeded to a large extent in popularising his teachings in different parts of northern India. We have very strong reason to believe that the term 'Nirgrantha' was first invented by him and later came to denote his followers. The evidence of the Buddhist texts too fully supports this contention. The Samannaphala Sutta of the Digha Nikaya actually shows acquaintance with Parsva's religion of four vows and not with Mahavir's doctrine of five restraints. Elsewhere in the Pali Tripitaka there are references to the Nirgrantha religion of four vows although, to my abiding regret, the Buddhists have not mentioned him by name. However, it appears from their writings that Mahavir was an ascetic belonging to the Nirgrantha order and nothing more. Parsva was the first historical prophet of ancient India to clearly understand the real significance of ahimsa. The concept of non-violence is, no doubt, to be found in the earlier Upanisadic works and also in the Mahabharata, but to Parsva ahimsa meant something more concrete. It was his whole existence. His other teachings (i.e. not to lie, not to steal and not to own physical possessions) are of course to be found in all schools of thought.
conversion to Parsva's order. This Brahmana was, like Parsva, a citizen of Varanasi. That Parsva's doctrine had great appeal even for kings is testified to by the elaborate story of the conversion of Paesi, king of Seyaviya, by Kesin, the celebrated follower of Parsva, related in the Rayapaseniya, an Upanga text. I have very little doubt that the Payasi Suttanta of the Digha Nikaya was composed in imitation of this Upanga text. We must remember that Kesin was also known by the name of Kumarasamana, and in the above-mentioned Buddhist work a certain Kumarasamana is delineated as engaged in conversation with king Payasi of Setavya, which is evidently the same as Seyaviya. Indeed, there is reason to believe that Parsva's followers were also generally known as Kumarasamanas. P.C. Bagchi believes that in a particular sutra of Panini these Kumarasramanas have been referred to. Although we cannot be dogmatic about this, there may be some truth in this. According to the Samavayanga, Dinna was Parsva's principal male disciple and Pupphacula the female disciple. Pupphacula, as I have already mentioned, is also cited in the Nayadhammakahao. His principal male lay votary was Suwaya and his female lay votary Sunanda. Regarding Parsva's date, it may here be pointed out that it is only from two late texts that we learn that his liberation took place 250 years before Mahavir's emancipation. In the concluding lines of Mahavir's and Parsva's biography in the Kalpasutra, which were obviously added during the council of Valabhi, and also in the Avasyakabhasya, another text of practically the same date, we are told about this figure of 20 years. It is quite possible that the time gap separating Mahavir from Parsva was less than 250 years, but since we have not other evidence, we have to provisionally assign to Parsva a date around 800 BC.
I have already referred to Parsva's attitude towards women. He also, unlike some later Jain thinkers, had no prejudices against Brahmanas. The Nirayavalika contains the story of Brahmana Soma's
The above is an extract from A Comprehensive History of Jainism', Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers, 2000. Assim Kumar Chatterjee is a scholar who used to teach at Calcutta University