Jainthology

Author(s): Ganesh Lalwani
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 64

The Jaina texts have noticed the rivalry of this man at severat places. As to the absorption of the remnants of the order of Pārsva into that of Mahavira, there are on record many occasions when the monks of the earlier order met those of Mahāvira's order, discussed their differences, and being convinced that Mahāvira was the leading light for the new age, joined his order. A new light was indeed emerging at the same time from Gautama Buddha who was a junior contemporary of Mahāvira, and even though the Buddhists were immensely 'interested in the followers of Nigapțha Nataputta, the reverse was not the case. To quote, "I have not yet come across a distinct mention of the Bauddhas in any of the old Jaina Sūtras." (Jacobi). The most significant fact is that even though Mahavira and the Buddha were contemporaries for many years and lived and moved in the same part of India at times residing in the same city, the two never met.
Vaiśāli Confederacy
The line to which Mahāvira belonged was identified by Western scholars from the Buddhist texts in which he has been called 'Nataputta', As Buehler wrote, "The discovery of the real name of the founder of the Jainas belongs to Prof. Jacobi and myself. The form Jñā taputra' occurs in Jaina and north Indian Buddhist books, in Pali it is 'Nataputta' and in Jaina Prakrit Nayaputta'." (Indian Antiquary, Vol VII, p. 143). This establishes beyond doubt that Mahāvira was born in the Jñats clan of the Vajjis who were the rulers at Vaiśāli and was well connected from his parents side. According to Rhys Davids and Cunningham the Vajjis to whom the Jñatrs belonged were a large confederacy which had within its fold at least eight clans (atįhakulas), of which the Videhans, Licchavis, the Jñatss and the Vajjis proper were the foremost. The Videhans bad their capital in Mithila, but a section of them might have settled in Vaiśāli, and Mabăvira's mother, sister of king Cetaka of the Haihaya dynasty, and the head of the Confederacy, probably belonged to this section. The Jñatrs had their seat at Kundapura or Kundagrāma and Kollāga, both suburbs of Vaibali which has been identified with Besārh (to the east of Gandak) in the Muzaffarpur district of Bihar, This city was also the seat of the entire confederacy. People were called 'inner Vesalian' or 'outer Vesalian' according to their residence in the city proper or in the suburbs, and by this criterion, Mahavira was an outer Vesalian.
Kalpa Sūtra by Bhadrabāhu which is the traditional source on the life of Mahavira, who is supposed to have been born in 599 B.C, and
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