Studies in South Indian Jainism

Author(s): M S Ramaswami Ayyangar, B Seshagiri Rao
Publisher: M S Ramaswami Ayyangar

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NORTH INDIAN JAINISM.
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Mahāvīra's title as the reformer of the Jain Church consists in the fact that he was able to bring the entire order of Parsvanāth, to his way of thinking especially in the matter of wearing clothes. As has been stated already, Mahāvīra stood for complete nudity. Let us next trace the development of this new Early
North Indian order of Migrantha monks founded by Mahāvīra Jainism.; its Vardhamāna. From the statement of the various drve
dr.velopment. Buddhistic chronicles, we learn that during the first centry after the death of the Buddha the Jains were prominent in various places in the north. An important piece of information is conveyed to us by Hiuen Tsang, the Chinese traveller who visited India in the seventh century A.D. In his Mennoirs are to be found extracts from the ancient annals of Magadha. One such extract relating to the great monastery of Nālandā, the high school of Buddhism in Eastern India which was founded shortly after the Bud. dha's death, mentions that a Nigrantha who was an astrologer, had prophesied the great success of the new building. This shows that Jainism was then prevalent in the kingdom of Magadha. The next important nvidence of the development of Jainism was the famous Asoka Edict. “My Parigista Parvan (Bibl. Ind., Cal. According to the Digambaras cutta, 1891), p. 4ff., the present all the twenty-four Tirthankaras writer criticizes the Svētāmbera advocated nudity; the Svētāmtradition, and, by combining the baras hold that only Mahāvira Jain date of Chandragupta's insisted upon it in his time. accession to the throne in 155 Turner, Mahavamsa, pp. after the Nirvana with the C8-67 and pp. 203-206. historical date of the same event Pillar Edict No. VIT, 2nd in 321 or 322 B.C., arrives at Part. See also Bühler's The 476 or 477 B.C. as the probable Indian Sect of the Jainas, pp. 37 date of Mahăvira's Nirvana." and 39.