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28
MAHĀVĪRA: HIS LIFE AND TEACHINGS
the teachers, were the teachings of Pārśva. The Eight Mahānimittas of the Ajivika Canon were extracts made from the Ten Purvas representing the literary authority of the sect of Pärśva.' Pārśva was honoured by both the sects as the last but one Tirthankara, while they were sharply divided in their claim for the position of the last Tirthankara. The Nirgranthas, of course, legitimately claimed that Mahavira was the rightful successor of Parsva in the tradition of the Tirthankaras.
It is remarkable that the Acaranga account of Mahavira's sadhanā does not bring in Gośāla to form an episode in it The same holds true of the account in the Kalpa-Sūtra which agrees substantially with that in the Acārānga Further, the names of the places where Mahāvīra is said to have spent the rainy seasons during the first twelve years of his asceticism differ from those mentioned in the Bhagavati-Sūtra The KalpaSutra offers the following account of Mahavira's earnest efforts prior to his Kevaliship ·
When the moon was in conjunction with the asterism Uttaraphālgunī, Mahāvīra, after fasting two days and a half without drinking water and
1 Barua, The Ājivikas, pp. 28, 41 foll.
