________________
478
STUDIES IN THE BHAGAWATI SUTRA
[Cc. VIII
Besides these, there are other places which were well known to Lord Mahavira, such as Kasi, Kosala, Prācīnajanapada, Vindhyagiri, Punḍra. Šatadvāra, Tāmralipti, etc.
Of all these places Rajagṛha appears to be the main centre of his religious activities, where he appeared more than sixty times to deliver his sermons and to expound the Law in the assembly of his followers on different religious and philosophical problems raised by his first disciple, Gautama Indrabhūti and others.
Next in importance comes Vanijyagrama which was visited by him four times in the course of his religious tours, while Campā stands next to Vanijyagrama in regard to his sacred visit to this city where he passed time thrice at the Purnabhadra Caitya.
He paid two visits to each of these cities, viz. Srāvastī, and Alabhika and one to each of these places, viz. Brahmanakundagrama, Moya, Kajangala, Mithila, Nālandā, Hastinapura, Kausāmbi, Vitibhaya, Kampilyapura, Visakha and Mendhikagrāma.
It is not possible to construct an itinerary of Lord Mahāvīra in a successive and systematic order on the basis of the scattered geographical data provided by the BhS except in one or two cases. His activities as religious teacher among the people at different places as revealed in the Bhagavati Sūtra
Lord Mahāvīra's visit to Alabhikā
Lord Mahavira paid two visits to the city of Alabhika where he stayed at the Sankhavana Caitya. On the first occasion he settled the religious dispute between Rṣibhadraputra and other Sramanopāsakas over the celestial state by approving the explanation given by Rṣibhadraputra on this subject.1 While on his second visit to this city the Master converted Poggala, a Parivrajaka to Sramana Dharma on his express desire by explaining to him the question of the duration of the life of the gods in Brahmaloka.
1 Bhs, 11, 12, 433.
Jain Education International
Ib, 11, 12, 436.
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
