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EPITHETS OF LORD MAHĀVĪRA IN EARLY JAINA
CANONS
There were many groups of the Sramanas, each of them having a leader. This fact is proved sufficiently by the Pāli Pitakas. All such leaders are given the following common epithets in the Pāli canon.
"सङ्घी चेव, गणी च, गणाचरियो च, जातो, यसस्सी, तित्थकरो, साधुसम्मतो बहुजनस्स, रत्तञ्जू, चिरपब्बजितो, अद्धगतो, वयोअनुप्पत्तो" -दीघ सामञफलसुत्त ।
In addition to these common epithets in Pāli canon Lord Māhavīra, the leader of the group of Nigganthas, was further given such epithets as; "FAUT, आवुसो नाटपुत्तो सब्बञ्ज सब्बदस्सावी, अपरिसेसं जाणदस्सनं पटिजानाति, चरतो च मे तिट्ठतो च सुत्तस्स च जागरस्स च सत्वतं समितं जाणदस्सनं पच्चुपट्टितं ति" -मज्झिमनिकाय, देद्वहसुत्तं.
In this paper I want to discuss the epithets of Lord Mahāvīra found in some of the texts of the Jain canonical literature. As these texts are not of the same time, I shall take them one by one according to their chronological order. This procedure will help us to know as to how a cluster of epithets was developed in the course of time, as to how the final one was arrived at, and as to how some of the common epithets became the property of a particular group-leader. The discussion will also make it clear that the epithets given to Lord Mahāvīra in the Pāli Pitakas do not belong to the early period of time. Again it will prove the Ācārānga part I to be earlier than the Pāli Pitakas. It will also be clear from the discussion that as time passed on, some of these epithets acquired the status of names having lost their status of adjectives.
The epithets, viz. Arihanta, Arhat, Buddha Jina, Vira, Mahāvīra and Tathāgata were not the sole property of a leader of a particular sect whether Brahmin or Sramana. But it seems that they became popular amongst the Śramanic sects especially for Mahāvīra, Gosāla and Buddha with the result that they were dropped by the Brahmin sects for their leaders. Similarly, the term
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