Some Aspects of Jainism in Eastern India

Author(s): Pranabananda Jash
Publisher: Munshiram Manoharlal Publisher's Pvt Ltd New Delhi

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Some Aspects of Jainism in Eastern India
well connected from his parents' side. According to Rhys Davids and Cunningham, the Vajjis to whom the Iñātris belonged were a large confederacy which had within its fold at least eight clans (attha kulas), of which the Videhans, the Licchavis, the Iñātris and the Vajjis proper were the foremost.
The traditional date of Mahāvīra's birth is 599 BC, but scholars generally prefer to fix his date in 539 BC.
Tradition is not unanimous about his marriage; according to the Digambara tradition, he was a celibate throughout; while the Svetāmbara tradition maintained that he married Yaśodā belonging to the Kauņdinya gotra and had a daughter called Priyadarśanā alias Anujā or Anodyā.78 As a prince, having excellent connections with ruling dynasties of his times, it was expected of him to rule with authority and enjoy the pleasures of prosperous career after his father. But that was not to be. When he was twenty-eight years old his parents died. He then wanted to renounce the world; but, owing to the pressure of his elder brother Nandivardhana?! he waited for a couple of years and then started to lead the life of an ideal ascetic. At the age of thirty after taking permission from elder brother, he left for the park of Nāyasamda80 which was situated near his home town. There under an Asoka treel he gave up all his ornaments and finery and then plucked out his hair in five handfuls.82 According to the Kalpa-sūtra83 Mahā. vira retained his cloth for thirteen months and then wandered about naked. During this period Gośāla, ‘an early antinomian', became his disciple; but after six years he separated himself from Mahāvira. After twelve years of severe penance Mahāvíra attained ominiscience (kevala), corresponding to the Bodhi of the Buddhists, under a Sāla tree on the bank of the river Rjupālikā near a village called Jşmbhikagrama and became a tirthankara. The place of Mahāvīra's kevala-darśan is, according to some, at the feet of some Sāla trees on the bank of a river, Rjupālikā at the foot of Parešanātha hill,84 while others think that it was situated in the eastern part of U.P.
Having attained salvation, Vardhamana Mahāvīra first preached sermons to his disciples (ganadharas), viz., Indrabhuti, Agnibhūti, Vāyubhūti, Āryavyuka, Arya Sudharman, Mandiputra, Mauryaputra, Akampita, Acalabhrāts, Metarya and Prabhāsa.85
The Jaina legends mention names the of different rulers Mahāvīra visited and tell how Cetaka, the president of the great tribal