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Some Mathura inscriptions bear testimony to the fect that even then, Rishabha-deva was looked upon as the 23rd. predecessor of Mahāvîra in the Tîrthankara-hood. The inscriptions are inscribed about 900 years after Lord Mabāvira. Had Lord Mahāvîra been the founder of Jainism we should have expected that the Jains of Mathurā would have dedicaled their inscriptions to Mahăvira and not to Rishabha-déva. The underlying idea, however is that Jainism prevelled in India from the times of Rishabha-déva, at least i. e. long before Mabăvira. Secondly, Pārsva-natha is now admitted to have been a historical personage. He flourical in the times of Brahmadatta who is so often referred to in the Buddha Jātaka stories. Bramadatta was a predecessor of Buddha by a long time. Therefore, Pārsva-natha who was con. temporary of Brahmadatta must also have flourished before Buddha. This, then, clearly means that Jainism is of greater antiquity than Buddhism. Modern scholars have now fixed about 800 B. C. as the date of Pārsva-nātha.
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HINDU SCRIPTURES AND PURANAS
The Hindu Scriptures and Purāņas also point to the same conclusion.
According to Bhāgvata Purāna, the origin of Jaloism is attributed to Rishabha-déva who flourished just in the beginning of the present period of Manu i-e many many croses of years ago.
Still older is the reference to the Jaina Tirthankaras in the * Vedas:
नैन्द्रं तद्वर्धमानं स्वस्ति न इन्द्रो वृद्धश्रवाः स्वस्ति न: पुरुषा विश्वदेवाः स्वस्ति नस्ताक्ष्यारिष्टनेमिः स्वस्ति नः ॥
(ugava amatan ) 1 Naindram tad-Vardhamānam Svasti pa Indro Vriddbaśsavāb svasti nah;
Puruşā viśva-dévāh svasti nastāksyo - r - Rista - Némih svasti nah
(Yajur-Védé Vaišva-dóvarcau)
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