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CHAPTER 1
JAINISM BEFORE LORD MAHAVIRA
The history of Jainism before Lord Mahāvīra is shrouded in considerable obscurity. Materials which can reconstruct it are scanty, dubious and capable of different interpretations, Scholars have, therefore, come to widely divergent conclusions. The Jainas themselves believe that their religion is eternal and that before Mahāvīra (C. 600 B.C.), there lived twentythree Tirthankaras who appeared at certain intervals to propagate true religion for the salvation of the world. Some scholars? hold that there are traces of the existence of śramana culture even in pre-Vedic times. H. JACOBI tried to prove, both from the Buddhist and the Jaina records, that Pārsvanātha, the immediate predecessor of Mahāvīra, who is said to have flourished some 250 years before him, is a historical personality.
JAINA RELIGION AS ETERNAL
According to the traditions preserved in the scriptures, Jaina religion is eternal, and it has been revealed again and again in every cyclic period of the world by innumerable Tirthankaras. The whole span of time is divided into two equal cycles, Utsarpiņi Kāla and Avasarpiņi Kila. Each Utsarpini and Avasarpini Kāla extends over ten Koța-koļi Sāgaropama years which are sub-divided into six parts known as aras. The
1. H. ZIMMER : Philosophies o, India, pp. 217-227; J.G.R. FORLONG : Short Studies in the Science of Comparative
Religions, pp. 243-244; PSOB
: p. 260; TULSI
: Pre-Vedic Existence of Sramara Tradition. 2. SBE, XLV, pp. xx-xxiii.
