Mahavira his Times and his Philosophy of Life

Author(s): Harilal Jain, A N Upadhye
Publisher: Bharatiya Gyanpith

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Srilanka, Buddha's nirvänä is put in 544 B.C. And in the Samagama-sutta of the Majjhima-nikāya and elsewhere in the Tri-pitaka it is stated that Buddha learnt the news from one of his followers that Mahavira's ṇirvāṇa took place in Pāvā. There is also the tradition that Buddha's nirvana occurred two years later: thus it is concluded that Mahāvīra's nirvana be put in 546 B.C. But, on scrutiny, both the views are not valid.
There is a clear-cut ancient Jaina literary and historical tradition that the nirvana of Mahävira took place 470 (four hundred seventy) years before Vikrama samvat and 605 (six hundred and five) years before the Saka era. The succession of the historical events of this tradition stands thus: That very night, when Mahavira attained nirvāṇa, king Palaka of Ujjaina was coronated. Pālaka ruled for 60 years. After him the Nanda kings ruled for 155 years; Mauryas for 108 years; Puşyamitra for 30 years; Balamitra and Bhānumitra for 60 years; Nahapāna (Nahavāna, Naravahana or Nahasena) for 40 years; Gardabhilla for 13 years; another king ruled for 4 years; and, it is after this that the Vikrama era started. Hence the period between the nirvana of Mahāvīra and the beginning of the Vikrama era stands thus: 60 + 155 + 108 +30 +60 + 40 +13+4=470 years.
The authority of Hemacandra on the basis of which Dr. Jacobi accepted the period between the nirvana of Mahāvīra and the coronation of Candraguta Maurya to be 155 years, is really speaking, not at all correct. Dr. Jacobi himself has edited the Parisiṣṭa-parvan; and he has recorded his view that this work contains many lapses, because it was composed in haste.
One of such lapses is that, while calculating the period between the nirvana of Mahāvīra and the coronation of Candragupta, assigning 60 years for Pālaka is skipped over. So by adding 60 years the period becomes 215 instead of 155. That this was a mistake is borne out by the period of time assigned to Kumārapāla by Hemacandra himself in his Triṣaṣṭi-slākā-puruṣa-carita (parvan 10, sarga 12, verses 45-56)
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