Jainism a Theistic Philosophy

Author(s): Krishna A Gosavi
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

Page 59

HISTORY OF JAINISM PRIOR TO MAHĀVĪRA
liberation.... and on the 84" day night..... under the dhātaki tree.... while in meditation, he attained omniscience i.e. kevala-jñāna." Pārsva was an historical personage; but as Shubring put it, “what else we are told of him in Jinac, 149f, is merely a copy of Mahāvīra's biography with the exception that Pārsva is said to have been born in Benaras in 877 B.C. and to have died on Sammeya (Sammeta) mountain in Bihar.'4. He is attested as a historic personality by other passages in rendering his teachings and reporting on his followers. Mahāvīra's parents are said to have belonged to Pārsva's lay followers. During Pārsva's lifetime, there have been teachers and monks in accordance with his teachings. ‘Pāsa was obviously of a winsome nature, for he bears the constant title of Puriņādānīya, which seems to be the oldest precursor of the modern occasional title of Lokamānya, Desabandhu, Mahātman etc., (The Puriņādānīya is often translated as the “beloved one” or as the "celebrated one”).42 Avaśyaka-cūrņi incidentally mentions several ascetics of the Pārsva sect who were there, during the course of Mahāvīra's wandering as an ascetic."
Pārsvanātha's Visits: Pārsvanātha is said to have visited a number of cities among which prominent were Ahichatra, Amalakappa, Śrāvasti, Hastināpura, Kāmpilyapura, Sāketa, Rājagraha and Kaušāmbi. Buddhist text refers to the existence of a large number of niganthas who followed Cāturyāma-samvara. The Vyākhyāprajñapti records a discussion that took place between Mahāvīra and Áramaņa Gāngeya, a follower of Pārsvain Vajjiyagrāma. Gāngeya gave up the cātujjāma-dhamma and embraced the Pañcayāma of Mahāvīra.*
4'U.P. Shah, “The Historical origin and Ontological interpretation of Arhat Pārsva", in Arhat Pārśva and Dharanendra Nexus, Ahmedabad, 1997, P-29 42 Ibid., P-30 43 Ibid., P-30 44U.P. Shah, “ The Historical origin and Ontological interpretation of Arhat Pārsva”, in Arhat Pārsva and Dharanendra Nexus, ,P-30