Mahavira His Life and Teachings

Author(s): Bimla Charn Law
Publisher: Luzac and Co UK

Page 43

36 MAHĀVĪRA' HIS LIFE AND TEACHINGS Mallas. It was in Mahāvira's time one of the halting stations on the high road from Vaiśăli to Kuśīnārā and Kapılavastu?
What Mahāvīra did after having attained the position of a Kevalin, where did he go, to whom did he proclaim his religious experience, and by whom was he first accepted as the Jina, are the interesting points that still remain unknown to us The Bhagavati-Sūtra would have us believe that extraordinary respect was shown by certain rich householders even long prior to his Jinahood, while the Ācārānga and the Kalpa-Sūtra narrate the account of his sādhanā in such a manner as to suggest that he had to make superhuman efforts before he could aspire to obtain the coveted position of a Kevalin According to the KalpaSūtra account, after leaving his home and passing into the houseless state of a recluse, he stayed with the followers of Pārsva for one year and a month at Asthigrāma After that time, he went to Campā and Pșsticampā, and thereafter he returned to Vaišali and Vānijagrāma, near which he attained Jinahood in the thirteenth year of his career as an ascetic. The Ācārănga says that, during this period, he travelled once in the country of Rādha,
* Law, Geography, p 15