Jain Remains of Ancient Bengal
by Shubha Majumder | 2017 | 147,217 words
This page relates 鈥楲ife History of Tirthankara Mahavira鈥� of the study on the Jain Remains of Ancient Bengal based on the fields of Geography, Archaeology, Art and Iconography. Jainism represents a way of life incorporating non-violence and approaches religion from humanitarian viewpoint. Ancient Bengal comprises modern West Bengal and the Republic of Bangladesh, Eastern India. Here, Jainism was allowed to flourish from the pre-Christian times up until the 10th century CE, along with Buddhism.
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Life History of 罢墨谤迟丑补峁卥补谤补 惭补丑腻惫墨谤补
痴补谤诲丑补尘腻苍补 惭补丑腻惫墨谤补, the twenty-fourth and last 罢墨谤迟丑补峁卥补谤补 was born in 碍耻峁囜笉补驳谤腻尘补, a suburb of 痴补颈艣腻濒墨 (modern Basarh in Muzaffarpur district of Bihar) in 599 BCE (Jacobi 1884: XXII, pt. I intro.: X-XI &:189191; Dey 1899:107; Law 1937: 19; Bhattacharyay 1939/1974: 60-61 and Shah 1987: 2). Therefore, he was called Ve艣膩lie, an inhabitant of 痴补颈艣腻濒颈. His father was king 厂颈诲诲丑腻谤迟丑补 and mother was 罢谤颈艣补濒腻, sister of king 痴补颈艣腻濒墨 (according to 艢惫别迟腻尘产补谤补 Jain tradition) or 笔谤颈测补办腻谤颈峁嚹� (according to Digambara Jain tradition) (Rapson 1922: 40; Nahar & Ghosh 1917/1988: 8; Shah, 1987: 2; Shah 1989: 27-28 and Jain 2010: 74-88;).
At the age of thirty 惭补丑腻惫墨谤补 relinquished his worldly life[1] and he wandered from place to place suffering great hardships and molestations from 256), people of 搁腻岣峢补, etc., and practiced severe penance[2]. At last he attained 办别惫补濒补箩帽腻苍补 on the bank of the river 峁歫up膩lik膩[3] near Jambhiyag膩ma. During attainment, he was sitting with upright knees like a milkman sitting while milking the cow (驳辞诲辞丑颈办腻蝉补苍补). At the age of seventy-two, 惭补丑腻惫墨谤补 obtained 狈颈谤惫腻峁嘺 at 笔腻惫腻, modern 笔腻惫腻puri, in Nalanda district of Bihar[4] (Shah 1987: 3).
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
This was the 10th day of the month of m膩rgas墨r峁, when the moon was once more in conjunction with Uttaraphalgun墨, after permission from elders (碍补濒辫-厂奴迟谤补 1879: 惭补丑腻惫墨谤补 left for the park of 峁喣亂asa峁冡笉a (膧c膩r膩峁単a 厂奴迟谤补 1884: 199; 碍补濒辫补厂奴迟谤补 1879: 259), which is situated near his home-town and he left his common life. In this place under an A艣oka tree (Kalpa 厂奴迟谤补 1879: 256) he took all his ornaments and finery and then plucked out his hair in five handfuls (膧c膩r膩峁単a 厂奴迟谤补 1884: 199; 碍补濒辫补-厂奴迟谤补 1879: 259). According to the 碍补濒辫补-厂奴迟谤补 (Ibid: 259-60) 惭补丑腻惫墨谤补 retained his cloth for 13 months and then he wandered about naked.
[2]:
According to the 膧c膩r膩峁単a 厂奴迟谤补 (ibid: 84) after his departure from home, 惭补丑腻惫墨谤补 was wanderings 12 years before his 碍别惫补濒补箩帽腻苍补. In that time he visited some places which were also mentioned in 膧c膩r膩峁単a 厂奴迟谤补. According to this 厂奴迟谤补, during his second year of wanderings, he came in contact with Ma峁卥haliputta 骋辞艣腻濒补 at 狈腻濒补苍诲腻, a famous suburb of 搁腻箩补驳峁沨补 (See also Chatterjee 1978: 23).
[3]:
[4]:
The 碍补濒辫补-厂奴迟谤补 (1879) states that 鈥淭he venerable ascetic 惭补丑腻惫墨谤补 lived thirty years as a householder, and then twelve years and six months and a full half month more a sage only in outward guise (Chadmastha, that is, an ascetic, not yet possessed of perfect knowledge); thirty years less six a holy month in the exercise of perfect wisdom, altogether having lived seventy-two years鈥�.