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Lord Mahavira embodiment. Svetâmbara records tell us that this event took place at the office of scribes maintained by King Hastipala in the town of Papa, identified with modern Pavapuri, near Patna. The traditional date of Mahâvîra's death is fixed near the end of rainy season in 527 B.C.; it is from this date that Jainas count the Viranirvâna period, the longest continuous "era" in Indian history. 88 At the time of Mahâvîra's departure from this earth, only two of the eleven ganadharas—Indrabhuti Gautama and Sudharmanstill lived. 89 It is believed that Indrabhuti Gautama attained omniscience in a matter of hours after his teacher had passed away. These two nearly simultaneous events are celebrated by the Jainas in their Dipavali (Festival of lights), following a tradition supposedly begun by the local kings on that very day so many years ago. As the Kalpa-sutra says:
On that night during which the Venerable Ascetic Mahâvîra died ... cut as under the ties of birth, old age, and death, became a siddha, finally liberated ... his oldest disciple, the monk Indrabhuti of the Gautama gotra, obtained the highest knowledge and intuition, called kevala, which is infinite, supreme ... and full.
And on that night during which the Venerable Ascetic Mahâvîra died ... the eighteen confederate kings of Kasi and Kosala, the nine Mallikas and nine Licchavis insiituted an illumination on the day of the new moon, which was a fasting day; for they said: “Since the internal (bhava) light (of intelligence) is gone, let us make an illumination with the external (dravya) light (of matter). 91 Points of Controversy between the Two Major Sects
In the account above many examples of conflict have been noted between the Digambara and Svetâmbara traditions of Jainism. It might now be helpful to categorize these points of controversy in a general way.92 Three issues seem paramount:
1. The nature of the omniscient Jina. For Digambaras, such a being engages in no worldly activity and no bodily functions (eating meals, for example), since these are considered antitheticai to omniscient cognition. He “preaches” by means of a magical "divine sound.” Svetâmbaras see the Jina as engaging in normal human activities and functions while simultaneously enjoying omniscient cognition.
