Sramana 2016 04

Author(s): Shreeprakash Pandey, Rahulkumar Singh, Omprakash Singh
Publisher: Parshvanath Vidhyashram Varanasi

Page 58

Reconsidering the Date of the Nirvāņa of Lord Mahāvira : 51
total period of the three Kevalis and the five Śrutakevalīs has been accepted as 162 years. Since Bhadrabāhu was the last Śrutakevali, according to the Digambara tradition, his year of demise must be the year 162 of the Vīra Nirvāņa Sarvat. Thus, despite the fact that there is a difference of 8 years regarding the period of demise of Bhadrabāhu as accepted by the two traditions, the contemporaneity of Bhadrabāhu and Candragupta Maurya is fully justified. Muni Sri Kalyana Vijaya (Śrī Pattāvalī Parāga Samgraha: 1966:52; Vīra Nirvāņa Samvat aura Jaina Kāla Gañanā: p, 137), in order to prove the contemporaneity of Bhadrabāhu and Candragupta Maurya has accepted the period of Sambhūtivijaya as an Ācārya to be 60 years at place of 8 years. In this way, while accepting the date of the Nirvāņa of Mahāvīra as 527 B.C., he has tried to establish the contemporaneity of Bhadrabāhu and Candragupta Maurya. But it is only his imagination (Vīra-Nirvāņa Samvat aura Jaina Kāla Gañanā - p. 137 & Patýāvali Parāga Sangraha- p. 52); there is no authentic proof available. All the Svetāmbara Pattāvalīs accept the date of the demise of Bhadrabāhu to be the year 170 V.N.S. Also, in Titthogālī it has been indicated that the decay of the knowledge of the fourteen Pūrvas started in the year 170 V.N.S. Bhadrabāhu was only the last of the 14 Pūrvadharas. Thus, according to both of the traditions - Śvetāmbara and Digambara, the date of demise of Bhadrabāhu stands as 170 and 162 of V.N.S. respectively. On the basis of this fact, the contemporaneity of Bhadrabāhu and Sthūlibhadra with the last Nanda and Candragupta Maurya can be proved only if the date of Nirvāņa of Mahāvīra is accepted as 410 years before V.S. or in the year 467 B.C. The other alternatives do not prove the contemporaneity of Bhadrabāhu and Sthūlibhadra with the last king of the Nanda dynasty and Candragupta Maurya. In Titthogāli Paņņayam (783-794) also the contemporaneity of Sthūlibhadra and the king Nanda has been described. Thus on the basis of these facts it appears more logical to accept the date of the Nirvāṇa of Mahāvīra as 467 B.C. Himvanta Sthavirāvali also mentions that Candragupta was enthroned in 155 years after the Vīra Nirvāṇa and that Vikramārka lived 410 years after the Vīra