Jainism in North India

Author(s): Chimanlal J Shah
Publisher: Longmans Green and Compny London

Page 34

· JAINISM BEFORE MAHAVIRÀ and his theory in the old books of the Buddhas, but we shall limit ourselves to one which is very helpful in tracing this history as far back as Pārsvanātha.
There is a reference to Nätaputta's system in the SāmaññaphalaSutta, which is as follows: Cātuyāma Samvara Samvuto, which has been interpreted by Jacobi as referring to the Jaina term Câturyāma. "It is applied," says the learned scholar, "to the doctrine of Dlahāvīra's predecessor, Pārsva, to distinguish it from the reformed creed of Mahāvīra, which is called Pāñcyāma Dharma." 1
To understand this interpretation of Dr Jacobi we must know beforehand that the original religion of Pārsva had laid down four great vows for the guidance of his followers, and they are as follows. Ahimsā, non-killing; Sunfta, truthful speech; Asteya, not stealing; and Aparigraha, renouncing of all illusory objects. Mahāvīra being a reformer also saw that in the society in which he was moving Brahmacaryam-chastity-must be made a separate vow, quite distinct from the Aparigraha vow of Pārsvanātha 2
Referring to this reformation in the Jaina church by Mahāvíra, Jacobi observes : "The argumentation in the text presupposes a decay of the morals of the monastic order to have occurred between Pārsva and Mahāvīra, and this is possible only on the assumption, of sufficient interval of time having elapsed between the last two Tirthankaras, and this perfectly agrees with the common tradition that Mahävīra came 250 years after Pārsva." 3 ore
Thus from the Buddhist-Granthas themselves we get sound proofs which help us to ascertain the historical character of Pārsva's Infe. Besides this there is one thing which sounds very strange when we consider all these references about Nātaputta and his philosophy that are available in the Buddhist canon. With all these refutations and references about them in the canonical works of the rival faith the Jainas could ignore their adversaries. It follows from this that the Nzgranthas were considered by the Buddhas an important sect, while the Nirgranthas in their turn did not think it worth while to take any notice of the sister faith. These strange concidences of both the Buddhist and the Jaina literature go a long way to prove the existence of Jainism much before the advent of Buddha and Mahāvīra.
1 Jacobi, IA, , p 160 am
ant. etc - See Kalpa-Sutra, SubodhrläTilā, p. 3. Jacobi, S.B.E, xlv., pp 122-128