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110 A Study in the Origins and Development of Jainism
clothes? When this question was raised by Keśi, Gautama gave a convincing reply so far as the discrepancy in the number of vows is concerned and Keśi was fully satisfied. On the matter of nudity or wearing of clothes the reply of Gautama was: "Deciding the matter by their superior knowledge, the tirthankaras have fixed what is necessary for carrying out the law. The various outward marks (of religious men) have been introduced in order that people might recognise them as such; the reason for the characteristic marks is their usefulness for religious life and their distinguishing character. Now the opinion (of the tirthankaras) is that knowledge, faith and right conduct are the true causes of final liberation." After being fully satisfied Keśi with his followers accepted the law of the five vows and both the samghas got united. It appears that the question of wearing clothes or not was left to the desires of monks. But the existence of two fold kalpa, namely, jinakalpa and sthavira kalpa, in an organisation could not last long. As a result, in course of time, the samgha got split into two sects Digambara and Śvetämbara.
The lists of the names of the leaders of samgha after Mahāvīra found in the Kalpa Sūtra, Nandi Sūtra, Āvasyaka Sūtra and Parisistaparvan indicate that the unity of the samgha was maintained upto the time of Sthulabhadra as both the traditions generally agree with the succession of pontificates upto Sthūlabhadra. He had two disciples Mahagiri and Suhastin and the lists of the names of successors of these two are given in the Nandi Sūtra and Kalpa Sutra which are quite different. On the basis of it, it may be construed that the split in the samgha was effected soon after Sthūlabhadra. The major events of the Jain monastic order are reckoned with reference to Mahāvīra era which is supposed to have started from 527 B.C., the traditional date of the nirvāņa of Mahāvīra. According to it the accession of Chandra Gupta Maurya to the throne and the death of Bhadrabahu took place in 155 and 170 years respectively after the death of Mahāvīra. If these dates
