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17
A NOTE ON LORD MAHẬVÎRA'S
CLAN
-D.D. Malvania
In Pali texts Nigantha Nathaputta (or Nataputta) and in sanskrit Buddhist texts Nirgrantha (Nigrantha) Jnatiputra (Jnataputra) is used for Lord Mahâvîra (see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Dictionary). In Jainagama texts also we have Nayaputta, Nayasuya, Nayaputta, Mahâvîra etc. According to the comm. of Samyuttanikaya “Nata' was the name of his father but Malalasekera says that Nata is the name of the clan, and most of the Jaina texts and commentators are unanimous in saying that Nata is the clan of the Ksatriyas.
Recently Muni Nathmalji has opined that the Prakrit word Naya or Nata should be sanskritized as Naga. He may be correct to a certain extant as far as Prakrit word is concerned but when we see the word Nata or Natha used in Pali, there remains no possibility of sanskritizing it as Naga. Still we can keep this question of sanskritizing the word Naya open and find our some solution.
In Acaranga II we find 'Nayanam khattiyanam (116) which shows that Nayas, were Ksatriyas. This is corroborated by Kalpasutra (20) also.
But in Acaranga I which is the earliest text of the Jaina Canon Lord Mahâvîra is called 'Mahana' not once but four times at the end of all the four sub-sections of the ch. IX wherein escetic practices of the Lord are described—“TH TAET 370/
4 T HIEUTOT HSHUTI
This statement may be right if we see the story in Bhagavatisutra (9. 33. 380) where the Lord says— IGT HEVIT मम अम्मगा। अहन्नं देवाणदाए माहणीए अत्तए।'
