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THE JAINA GAZETTE
religious sentiments of Mahavira, whose parents were the followers of Parsvanatha, as well as his own earnest desire for the welfare of makind, evidently prompted him to select a spot for asceticism not very far from the Parsvanatha Hill, hallowed by the memory of the holy saints whose doctrines he had imbibed almost with his mother's milk, as the proximity and association of the sacred mountain would prove a source of constant inspiration and encouragement to him to save his fellow-creatures from the evils of existence which cuman beings are heir to. He selected a spot on the bank of the Rjupalika outside the village of Jrmbhika where without hindrance or molestation, to which he was subjected during his twelve years' wanderings, he could perform his austerities and pursue his contemplation. It is very probable that the river Barakar, the ancient Rjupalika or Rjuvalika, which means the "river with coarse sand". was much nearer to Jharia in the 6th century B.C. than it is now, as the rivers which are liable to sudden freshets, as the Barakar is, generally change their course through the breaks caused in their banks, The river Barakar is now about twenty miles away from Jharia. It is related in the Kalpa Sutra that Mahavira spent one Pajjusan or rainy Season in Panitabhumi, which according to the commentators was in Vajjabhumi. This has not yet been identified.
(The above is an extract from an article on “Radha or the Ancient Ganga Rastra" by Nundolal Dey, M.A., BL., published in The Indian Historical Quarterly Vol. IV. No 1.)
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