Lord Mahavira and His Times

Author(s): Kailashchandra Jain
Publisher: Motilal Banarasidas

Page 85

Life of Lord Mahāvīra
65
may have been due to his wife Chellanā, who was a daughter of Chețaka of Vaiśāli. Hemachandra tells the story that “when the country was under a blight of cold, the king accompanied by Devi Chellanã went to worship Mahāvīra". The fact that Mahāvīra passed fourteen rainy seasons at Rājagriha is sufficient to prove that he exercised some influence over both Sreņika and Kūnika, the rulers of Magadha. According to the Jaina texts,Mahāvīra was always treated by them and other members of the royal family with the utmost respect. On one occasion, Śreņika is said to have issued a proclamation promising financial support to the relatives of those who enter the Jaina holy order.3
Sreņika's son Kūņika is represented in the Jaina texts as a Jaina. These texts4 are partial in freeing him from the charge . the Buddhist texts level against him. The Anpapātika Sutra throws special light on the cordial relations between Kūņika and Mahāvira. Kūņika is known to have appointed a special officer known as Pravritti Vaduka Purusha to inform him about the wanderings and daily routine of Mahāvīra. It contains an account of Mahāvīra's Samosarana in Champā and Kūņika's pilgrimage to this place. He was a frequent visitor to Mahāvira with his queens and royal retinue. He had an intimate connection with him both at Vaiśāli and Champā, and openly declared before Mahāvīra and his disciples his faith in him as the true teacher who had made clear the true path of religion based on renunciation and non-violence. Kūņika was succeeded by his son Udayabhadra, who in the lifetime of his father served him as the Viceroy at Champā. He was a devout Jaina, fasting on the Sth and 14th tithis.5 He is also known to have built a Jaina shrine (chaityagļiha) at the centre of the town, Pāšaliputra.
In the Buddhist texts, Śrenika and Kūņika arc known by the names of Bimbisāra and Ajātaśatru and both were devot1. Tri. Pu. Cha, X, 6. 10, 11. 2. Daśāśrutaskandha, Anuttaropapātila Daśčriga and Jagadhoruckola. 3. Bihar through the Ages, p. 127. 4. Aup, 12, 27, 30; Hemachandra's Parisishicharan, canto IV; .. St,
pp. 684, 687. 6. Ara, Sū, p. 690.