Lord Mahavira and His Times

Author(s): Kailashchandra Jain
Publisher: Motilal Banarasidas

Page 81

Mahāvīra and His Life
The Digambaras believe that Mahāvīra did not travel alone but that wherever he went he was accompanied by all monks and nuns who had entered his Order. He preached in a language which they call An-akshari, which was unintelligible to the common people; so Gautama acted as his interpreter and translated all he said into Ardha-Māgadhi.?
PLACES OF RAINY SEASONS (CHATURMĀSA)
The Jaina Kalpasūtra gives the names of the places where Mahāvīra spent one or more rainy seasons since he became an ascetic after renouncing the world. He stayed the first rainy season in Aşthikagrāma, three rainy seasons in Champā and Prishtichampā, twelve in Vaiśāli and Vanijagrāma, fourteen in Rājagriha and Nālandā, six in Mithilā, two in Bhadrikā, one in Alabhikā, one in Panitabhūmi, one in Śrāvasti and the last one in the town of Papā in king Hastipāla's office. This list is neither exhaustive nor chronological though it covers broadly the fortytwo years of his itinerary. It is rather difficult to distinguish the places he visited during and after the period of his ascetic life merely on the basis of the list supplied by the halpa Sülra. There is no doubt that the Kalpa Sutra's authority on the itinerary of Mahāvīra is ancient and fairly reliable. It gives us a fair idea of the area over which he wandered propagating his faith. When the places are correctly identified, we come to know that this area roughly covered the modern state of Bihar and some parts of Bengal and U.P.
The Jain tradition which mentions Mahāvira's visit to Vitibhaya, the capital of Sindhu Sovira, to preach to King Uddāyana, is of very doubtful veracity. The carliest reference to this visit is found in the Bhagavati? and later on in certain Chūrnis which perpetuate the tradition. It is quite possible that in later times, when Jainism spread to Wesicrn India, the Jainas, in order to impress the masses of this region, wanted to
1. Ssnj, p. 41. 2. Kalpa, 122. 3. Bhag, pp. 6*6 ff.