Jainism in North India

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

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JAINISM IN NORTH INDIA by Mabăvira himself, and that the Angas were then composed by his Ganadharas.7
From this at becomes clear that Mahavira and his Ganadharas who succeeded hum were the authors of the Jana Agamic literature. When we say that Mahāvira was the author we do not mean that he actually wrote them, but that whatever is recorded there was taught by him "For authorship in India depended chiefly on the matter, the words being rather irrelevant, provided the sense be the same"? Furthermore, from certain peculiarities of the Jaina literature itself we can also mark that along with the Tchgion It can be traced as far back as Vardhamana and some time even before him. But we shall not touch any of these characteristic features here, since we are going to deal with them in our chapter on " Jaina Literature" } Now when in such canonical literature of the Jainas we find more or less unanimous and reliable reference to Parsva there is no reason to doubt their authenticity. Take for instance the Kalpa-Sutra of the days of Bhadrabāhu It has referred to all the Tirthankaras of the Jainas Its references to Parsva and MahäviraDharma have, however, been dealt with The most important passage is the one m the Bhagavati wherein is described a dispute between Kalasavesiyaputta, a follower of Părśva, and some disciple of Mahavira. It ends with the former's begging permission to stay with him “after having changed the law of the four vows foi the law of the five vows enjoining compulsory confession." 3 In Silanka's commentary on the Acaranga the same distinction is made between the Caturyāma of Părśva's followers and the Pancayāma of Vardhamana's Tirtha 4
The same thing is repeated also in the Uttaradhyayana. To quote Dasgupta “The story in the Uttarādhyayana that a disciple of Pārsya met a disciple of Mahāvīra and brought about the union of the old Jainism and that propounded by Mahavira seems to suggest that this Pārsva was probably an historical person." 5 1 Jacobi, S.B.E, 01, Int ,p 45
* Jacobi, Kalpa-Sülra, p'16 तर से कालाससियपुझे पणगारे रे भगवतो घर् नर्मम २ (शा) एव पदासो-इमानि म भते। IT -Cf Bhagavali-Sutra, Sataha I, sūt 76 C also Weber, Fragment der Bhagavalt,
** S terugi, etc-f Acāränga-Sülra, Snutashandha II, v 12-13, p 820
Dasguptn, Hustory of Indian Pulosophy, !, p 280 C also rent afegar TAAT UH -Ullarādīyayana-Satre, Adhyayana XXIII, 25 10
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