Jaina Law Bhadrabahu Samhita

Author(s): J L Jaini
Publisher: ZZZ Unknown

Page 19

THE JAINA LAW
Truth simply issued from him as an illuminating vibration and broke forth in enlightenment and peace, for the benefit of all around bim, according to their individual needs, ambitions and capacity, of the mind and of the soul.
On the Lord's ascension to Nirvana (fipal liberation), the great glory descended on the shoulders of his great disciples, the Ganadharas. Of these, only three attained omniscience. But these also did not write anything. It may be noted that the art of writing had been known to Indians for a few centuries before the Nirvana of Lord Mahavira. The Buddha also had about this time impressed the world with his new solution of the world's old doubts and difficulties ; but the art of writing was only a novel curiosity not yet employed in many things. After the three Ganadharas, the last of whom died in 465 B.O., the Jaina' tradition was in the keeping of the highly trained memories of five Srutakevalins, who account for one century among themselves, i.e., down to 365 B.C. Then, for 521 years, i.e., down to 156 A.D., the Jaina tradition passed through the heads of a series of teachers, each of whom was less competent as to the matter and memory of it than his predecessor. * It may
*For more details, see the present Translator's Outlines of
Jainism (Oambridge University Press, 1910) and Tattvarthasutra: and the Indian Antiquary.