Mahavira His Life and Teachings

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

Page 46

LIFE
39
his Posaha-house in the Kollāga suburb of Vānijagrāma, in the midst of his people of the Nāta or Jõātp clan'
This is no exaggeration. The Pali UpäliSutta? introduces to us the rich householder Upāli of Balakagräma, near Nalanda, who was a lay disciple of Mahāvīra and a liberal supporter of the recluses of his Order, both male and female. We are indeed told that a very large number of inhabitants of Balakagrāma, headed by Upāli, became lay disciples of Mahāvīra. The Banker Mşgāra or Mrgadhara of Śrāvasti, father-in-law of the Buddhist lady Visakhā, is mentioned as a lay disciple of Mahāvīra and a lay supporter of the Nirgrantha recluses. Besides Upāli and Mrgāra, the Buddhist texts mention, as we noted, Prince Abhaya, son of king Sreņika Bimbisāra of Magadha, and Simha, a Licchavi general, among the lay disciples of the Jaina Tirthankara.
The Jaina Bhagavati-Sūtra speaks of two other rich householders among the lay disciples of Mahāvīra, namely, Vijaya and Sudarsana, of whom the former was a citizen of Rājagrha
1 Uvāsaga-dasão, Lec. I, Hoernle's Translation. | * Majjhima-Nikāya, I, 37I-387 , cf, Sutrakrtầnga, JainaSūtras, II, pp 414-417.
3 Uvāsaga-dasão, Hoernle's Translation, App. pp. 1-2.