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NOVEMBER 2014
PRABUDDH JEEVANS
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ing the nature of reasoning from the inside, and re- moving the causes for experiencing any future stress as a result of it, rather than functioning outside of the system as a whole. Jain Tradition
Historicity of the Jaina tradition is thoroughly borne out both by literary and archaeological evidence. This traditional history of Jainism from the earliest times to the age of the last Tirthankara Mahavira (6th century B.C.) can be consistently traced from the facts maintained by Jaina religion. In this regard, Jainism primarily assumes that the univeses, with all its constituents or components, is without a beginning or an end, being everlasting and eternal, and that the wheel of time incessantly revolves like a pendulum in half circles from the descending to the ascending stage. Thus, for practical purposes, a unit of the cosmic time is called kalpa, which is divided into two parts. viz: the avasarpini (i. e. descending) and the utsarpini (i.e.ascending) each with six divisions known as kalas. i. e. periods or ages. It means that at the end of the sixth subdivision of the avasarpini (i. e. descending half circle) part the resoulution reverse and the utsarpini (i.e. ascending half circle) part commences where the steps are re- versed like the pendulum of a clock and that this process goes on ad infinitum, hence the utsarpini part marks a period of gradual evolution and the avasarpini part that of gradual decline in human stature, span of life, bodily strength and happiness and even in the length of each kāla or age itself (i.e. the first age being the longest and the sixth age being the shortest). More ever, life in the first age, the second age and the third age is known as the life of bhoga-bhumi (i. e. natural, happy, enjoyment-based life without any law or soci- ety); while life in the remaining three ages, viz, the fourth age, the fifth age and the sixth age, is called the life of karma-bhumi (i.e. life based on individual and collec- tive efforts).
After Lord Rsabha, the first Tirthankara, there was a succession of 23 other Tirthankaras, who came one after the other at intervals varying in duraton. In this way, the Jain tradition of 24 Tirthankar as was established in the course of historical times begining from the first Tirthankara Lord Rasabha and ending with the 24th Tirthankara Lord Mahavira.
Thus it is now in accepted fact that Mahavira (599527 B.C.) was the last Tirthankara or prophet of Jaina religion and that he preached the religion which was promulgate in the 8th century B.C. by his predecessor Pārsvanātha, the 23rd Tirthankara. The history of Tirthankara Pārsvanātha, (877-777 B.C.) has been established. Pārsvanātha, the son of king Visvasena and queen Vāmādevi of the kingdom of Kasi, led the life of an ascetic, practiced severe penance, obtained omniscience, became a Tirthankara, propgated Jaina religion and attained nirvana or salvation at Sammed Shikhar i.e. Pārsvanāth Hill in Hazaribagh district of Bihar State. Eminent historians like Herman Jacobi, Vincent Smith, R. C. Majumdar proved Pārsvanāth as a historical personage and a great preacher of Jaina religion.
The predecessor of Pārsvanāth was Neminātha or Aristnemi, the 22nd Tirthankara whose historicity like that of Pārsvanāth, can be easily established. Neminātha according to the Jaina tradition was the cousin of the Lord Krisna of the Mahabharata fame as Samudravijaya, the father of Neminātha and Vasudeva. the father of Krisna were brothers. There is also an inscriptional evidence to prove the historicity of Neminātha. Dr. Fuherer also declared on the basis of Mathura Jaina antiquities that Neminātha was an historical personage (vide Epigraphia Indica, I, 389 and II 208-210). Further, we find Neminātha's image of the Indo-Scythian period bearing inscriptions mentioning his name. These and many other inscriptions corroborate the historicity of 22nd Tirthankara Neminātha.
Among the remaining 21 Tirthankaras of the Jain tradition, there are several references from different sources to the first Tirthankara Rsabhanātha or Adinātha. Thus the tradition of twenty four Tirthankaras is firmly established among the Jainas and what is really remarkable is that this finds confirmation from nonJaina sources, especially Buddhist and Hindu sources. (A) Literary Sources Jaina and Budhhist Tradition
As Mahavira was the senior contemporary of Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, it is natural that in the Buddhist literature there should be several references of a personal nature to Mahavira. It is however, very significant to note that in Budhhist books
