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J. C. Sikdar
Jocobi holds the view that "we cannot...... without doing violation to the tradition, declare Mahavira to have been the founder of Jainism. But he is without doubt the last prophet of the Jainas, the last Tirthankara. His predecessor, Parsva, the last Tirthankara but one, seems to have better claims to the title of founder of Jainism ...Followers of Parsva are mentioned in the Canoncial books ..... This seems to indicate that Pareva was a historical person; but in the absence of historical documents we cannot Venture to go beyond a conjecture."
In addition to this view, he advances further arguments, while discussing caturyāma of Pārsvanātha in contradistinction to Pancamahavrata of Mahavira by making reference to Caturyāmasamvarasamvuto of Nigantha Nataputta, contained in the Pali texts and the Uttaradhyayana Sutra XXIII that "Parsva was a historical person, is now admitted by all as very probable." 8 The records of the Buddhist canon are not repugnant to our views about the existence of the Nirgranthas must have been an important sect at the time when Buddhism took its rise. This may be inferred from the fact that they are so frequently mentioned in the pitakas as opponents or converts of Buddha and his disciples; as it is nowhere said or even merely implied that the Nirgranthas were a newly founded sect, we may conclude that they had already existed at a considerable time before the advent of the Buddha." "This conclusion is well supported by the fact that Makkhali Gosala, a contemporary of Buddha and Mahavira divided mankink into six classes"10 of which "according to BuddhaGlosa, 11 the third class contains the Nirgranthas". 12
According to Jacobi, the name 'pūrva,' given to a part of the canon itself testifies to the fact that the Purvas were suppressed by a new canon, for 'pürva' means former, earlier, etc. 13 The existence of the Purvas suggests the existence of a previous community.
It is apparently clear from the views of Jacobi that the solution of the problem of the historicity of Pārsvanātha hinges upon the historical existence of the Sangha of his Parampara led by his followers, (pārsvāpatyryas), their ācāra (conduct) and Srutas (Purvasrutas) followed by them prior to Mahavira.
The spiritual heritage which Mahavira obtained was that of the tradition of Parsvanatha. This heritage is mainly of three kinds, viz. Sangha (Monastic Order). Acāra (conduct) and Sruta (Scripture). 14
