Jainism in Buddhist Literature

Author(s): Bhagchandra Jain Bhaskar
Publisher: Alok Prakashan

Page 48

( 29 ) the commencement of the Vikrama Era, According to one view, Vikrama was born 470 years after the death of Mabăvira while his accession and death took place 483 and 568 years respectively after Mahāvira's deaths. Another view holds that the Vikrama Era began 410 years after Mahavira's death. 64 According to these data, the date of Mahāvira's death mainly depends on the event in Vikrama's life which marked the commencement of the Vikrama Era. If the Vikrama Era commenced with Vikrama's birth, the date of Mahavira's death is 527 B. C. (i.e57 +470=527 B. C.66). If it began with Vikrama's accession, the date has to be 545 B. C. (57 +488-545 B, C.) 68 If the Vikrama Era began with Vikrama's death, Mahavira's death has to be dated as 622 B. C. (470+80+72=622 B. C.67). If we accept the tradition, which gives the interval as 60 years, the date of Mahāvira's death will be 467 B. C. (527-60=467 B. C, 168. Thus the dates of Mahāvıra's death will be 527 B. C., 545 B. C., 622 B, C. or 467 B. C. This makes the entire problem rather confusing and intricate.
Jacobi refers to the traditional date of the death of Nigantha Nātaputta as follows. "The reduction of the Jain's Canon or the Siddhānta took place, according to unanimously accepted tradition, at the Council of Valabhi, under the presidency of Devardhi. The date of this event ( 980 or 993 A. V.), corresponding to 454 or 487 A. D., is incorporated in the Kalpasūtra. Here the view of Hemachandra's Parisista paravan appears to be wrong as compared to the Titthogāli Painnaya which is an ancient and more reliable book. It is stated that the date of Chandragupta Maurya's accession falls 215 years after the death of Mahāvīra. Moreover, on the same day, Palaka began to rule in Ujjaini. He ruled over the country for sixty years. Afterwards Nanda's dominion is listed for 155 years. Then commences the enthronement of Chandragupta Maurya 70. But these sixty years have been omitted in the chronology of the Parisista paravan of Hemchandra. Puranachandra and Krishaachandra Ghosa write "Hemachandra must have omitted, by oversight, the period of 60 years of king Palaka after Mahavira 71. Hemachandra himself appears to have accepted 527 B..C. as the