Book Title: Studies in the Bhagavati Sutra
Author(s): J C Sikdar
Publisher: Research Institute of Prakrit Jainology & Ahimsa Mujjaffarpur

Previous | Next

Page 494
________________ Sec. 1] STUDIES IN THE BHAGAWATÍ SUTRA 469 Lord Mahāvīra was also known to the Buddhist works as Nigantha Nātaputta? but they do not explain why he was attributed with the name Nātaputta'. It is apparently clear from the study of these conflicting evidences of the BhS and the other sources that the Master belonged to the Jhātkra Ksatriya clan. But the solution of the problem of his parentage hinges upon the reconciliation of the evidences of his Brāhmaṇa and Ksatriya origins, as recorded in the BKS and the Kalpa Sūtra respectively. So there are two traditions of his birth, running side by side in the Svetāmbara Canons. It may be an effort of some authors to reconcile these conflicting traditions by introducing the story of the transfer of the embryo and tracing the origin of Lord Mahāvīra to a Brāhmana family in later times when the social distinction and rigidity between the Brāhmaṇa and Ksatriya castes became well-marked. Taking the facts of Nature into consideration, several explanations to the problem of the parentage of the Master are possible to be made in this regard. It may be associated with the Krşņa-legend to magnify his personality, as recorded in the Purāņa” that Lord Krşņa, though born of Devakī, was transferred by Vāsudeva to the family of Nanda and Yasodā, just after the moment of his birth to be brought up there, having apprehended the danger of the destruction of his life by Kassa. The views of some scholars that Lord Mahāvīra was adopted by the childless Trisalā as son do not agree with the fact, because he had his eldest brother named Nandivarddhana." i Digha Nikaya, 1. pp. 47 Foll; Samaññaphala Sutta ; Sāmagāma Sutta, M. N. II, pp. 243, Foll: Vinaya texts, S. B. E. Vol. XVII, pp. 108, Foll. · Bhāgavat Parāra, pt. II, 3rd Adhyāya, 10th Skandha, vv. 48-53, pp. 137-39. * Mrs. Stevenson's 'Heart of Jainism'; Bühlar : The Indian Sect of the Jainas. 4 Kalpa Sūtra. Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 492 493 494 495 496 497 498 499 500 501 502 503 504 505 506 507 508 509 510 511 512 513 514 515 516 517 518 519 520 521 522 523 524 525 526 527 528 529 530 531 532 533 534 535 536 537 538 539 540 541 542 543 544 545 546 547 548 549 550 551 552 553 554 555 556 557 558 559 560 561 562 563 564 565 566 567 568 569 570 571 572 573 574 575 576 577 578 579 580 581 582 583 584 585 586 587 588 589 590 591 592 593 594 595 596 597 598 599 600 601 602 603 604 605 606 607 608 609 610 611 612 613 614 615 616 617 618 619 620 621 622 623 624 625 626 627 628 629 630 631 632 633 634 635 636 637 638 639 640 641 642 643 644 645 646 647 648 649 650 651 652 653 654 655 656 657 658 659 660 661 662 663 664 665 666 667 668 669 670 671 672 673 674 675 676 677 678 679 680 681 682 683 684 685 686