Lord Mahavira

Author(s): Boolchand
Publisher: Jain Cultural Research Society

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( 15 ) freely recognise not only that Mahavira was a historical personage but also that the twenty-third Tirthankara, Parśva, and some at least of his predecessors had historical existence.
Pārsva was the son of King Aśvasena of Benares, who belonged to the Ikṣvaku race of the Kshattriyas. In his marital relations he was connected with the royal family of King Prasenjit, whose father Naravarman designated himself as the lord of the universe. It has not been possible so far to historically identify Aśvasena of Benares or Prasenjit and his father Naravarman of Kushasthala; but in spite of that limitation historians have been willing to accept the historicity of Pārsva because of certain other historical and geographical coincidences. The existence of the great tirtha, the hill of Samet-Shikhar (which is locally known as the Parsvanatha Hill), on the spot at which the twenty-third Tirthankara' attained his final liberation (Nirvana) affords a monumental proof of his historicity. Jain literature, of course, contains numerous references to Parsva and records the facts of his life, but even contemporary Buddhist and other literature affords striking evidence about the existence of Nirgranthas before the time of Mahavira.
These Nirgranthas or followers of Pārsva were undoubtedly Jain monks ; Mahavira himself was referred to as such, and he insisted on calling his followers by the same name. The system preached by Pārsva must have been philosophically founded upon the same presuppositions that mark the present-day Jain siddhanta, but it is presumable that it did not quite offer the same pattern of ethical conduct or moral discipline. First, the religion of Pārśva laid down only four vows ( चातुर्याम ) for the observance of his followers : अहिंसा (non-killing); a ( truthful speech ); petu (nonstealing); and 3T9UE (renouncing of all illusory objects); while Mahavira specified, and present day Jainism recognises, five great vows ( 3fEHT, 84,
अस्तेय, ब्रह्मचर्य and अपरिग्रह), the vow of chastity being given Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat