________________
Correlation of Jaina Inscriptions with Sthavirāvalis
173
___ अज्जमंगू आयरिया बहुस्सुया अज्झागमा बहुसिस्सपरिवारा उज्जयविहारिणो ते विहरंता महुरं णगरी गता। ते “वेरग्गिय"त्ति काउं सड्ढेहिं वत्थातिएहिं पूइता, खीर-दधि-घय-गुलातिएहिं दिणे दिणे पज्जतिएण पतिलाभयंति । सो आयरियो लोभेण सातासोक्खपडिबद्धो ण विहरति । णितिग्रो जातो । सेसा साधू विहरिता । सो वि अणालोइय पडिक्कतो विहारियसामण्णो वंतरो णिद्धमणा जक्खो जातो | xxxx साहूहिं पुच्छितो भणाति-सोहं अज्जमंगू इड्डिरसपमादगरुओ मरिऊण णिद्धमणे जक्खो जातो, तं मा कोइ तुब्भे एवं लोभदोसं करेज्ज ॥ ३२००
-Nisītha cürņi (Agra, 1958), Vol-II Sū.43, 44764-177.3200, pp. 152-153. Also see ibid., p. 125.
The Digambara author Svāmī Virasena (A. D. 817), in his commentary, the Dhavalā on the Satkhandāgama of Puspadanta and Bhūtabali, and ācārya Jinasena (A. D. 837) who finished his guru Vīrasena's incomplete commentary, the Jayadhavalā, on the ancient Kasaya-pāhuda-sutta and Yati-Vrsabha's cūrni on the Kasāya-Pāhuda, repeatedly cite Mahāvācaka Ārya Nāgahasti kşamāśramana, Mahāvācaka Ārya Manksu kşamāśramana, and Mahāvācaka Ārya Nandi ksamāśramana27. Prof. Hiralal Jain, the editor of the Satkhandagama, identifies Mahāvācaka Nāgahasti and Mahāvācaka Manksu with Arya Nägahasti and Arya Mangu of the Sthavirāvali of the Vācakas of the Svetämbara tradition given in the Nandi sūtra of Deva vācaka (c. A. D. 450) 28.
We have shown above that, according to the archaeological evidence of the two inscriptions from Mathurā, Ārya Māghahasti (identified with Arya Mangu as earlier shown) is later than Arya Vajra since Mangu belonged to Vajrī-śākhā. This goes against the dates given in the Commentary on the Tapāgaccha-pattāvali. Under the circumstances, we have to reject the late literary evidence of the Commentry on the Tapāgaccha pattāvali. But, if we can fix up the date of Arya Mangu, we can fix up the age of the above-noted inscriptions. At present these inscriptions are regarded as dated in 52 and 54 = A. D. 130 and 132 This would show that the era of A. D. 78 is used in these inscriptions.
Dhaky takes the date of Mahāvīra's nirvāna as 477 B. C. following Jacobi. Thus Arya Vajra's date would be A. D. 177 and Arya Mangu would be a junior contemporary of Arya Vajra or letter a little later than Arya Vajra. Dhaky, following A. K. Narain, takes the initial year of the Kusana era as A. D. 105 and A. D. 78 as the initial year of the Saka era. If the dates in the two inscriptions discussed here are in the Kusāna era, then they are
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
