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Antiquity of Jainism the epithet Puriga-daniya 'beloved of men.' He is supposed to have attained liberation about 246 years before Mahavira at Sammetašikhara which is known by his name Parsvanátha hill. If 526 B.C. is taken as the year of Lord Mahavira's Nirvana, in 772 B.C. must have occurred the death of Parsvanatha. According to the tradition, he dwelt in the world exactly one hundred years and left home at the age of thirty to become an ascetio. From it, we may conolude that he was born about 872 B.C. and left this world in about 772 B.C. The Kalpasūtra states that Parsva like other Tirthankaras was & Kshatriya and the son of the King Aśvasõna of Banáras and his wife Váma. His chief disciple was Subhadatta who was succeeded by Har Then, came Ārya Samudra and his disciple Prabhasūri, Next Kāšī Kumara succeeded to the headship of the church who was the contemporary of Mahavira. Thus the history of Jainism goes back to 872 B. C. Nēminātha as a Historical Figure
There seems to be no doubt about the existence of Jainism in the nineth century B. C. but the history of Jainis n goes back even earlier than of Parsvanatha. The Jain record mentions the names of twenty two Tirtban karas before him. Nēminátha, the 22nd Tirthankara of the Jains, was the son of Samudra Vijaya and grandson of Andhakavrishại. He is said to be a cousin of Krishna, the lord of the BhagvadgitA. Krishna negotiated his marriage with Rajamati, the daughter of Ugrasēna but Nēminatha taking compassion on the animals which were to be slaughtered in connection with the marriage feast, left the marriage procession suddenly and renounced the world. If the historicity of Lord Krishna is admitted, we may as well admit that Lord Nēminátha, the 22nd Tirthankara is not a mere myth.
The Andhakavrishnis of Dwaraka in Kathie was as a republic is referred to in the Mahabharata, Arthasastra and Ashtadhyayi of Paņini. The name of the Vrishņi corporation is also found on a coin which on palaeographical grounds belongs to the first and second century B. C. It seems that the republic was named after Andhakavrishṇī, the grand father of Nēminatha. As this republic is mentioned in the
1. Corporate life in Ancient India, P. 279.
