Agama And Tripitaka Comparative Study

SR No.: 022804
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Nagaraj Muni
Publisher: Today and Tomorrows Printers and Publishers
Publication Year: 1986
Total Pages: 804
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 19 MB

Page 110

70
But he refrains from giving any specific indication throughout his essay why it became inevitable for him to accept these dates. He simply says (55), "Though according to the unanimous traditions of the Jains, Candragupta's accession took place 215 years A. V. (after the death of Mahavira), in accordance with the view propounded by Hemacandra, (Parisista Parva, 8-339) Candragupta acceded to the throne 155 A. V". Dr. Jacobi has supported his view by citing another Jain work, Kahavali of Bhadresvara.
Now, the fact is that, as stated by Dr. Jacobi, it is unanimously accepted in all the Jain traditions that Candragupta's accession took place only 215 years after the Nirvana of Mahavira (56) and not 155 years, as accepted by Acārya Hemacandra (57). The view of Acārya Hemacandra would prove baseless, if tested on the touchstone of history. Also, the scholars have regarded it as a great blunder committed by Acārya Hemacandra. The most substantiated opinion in this regard is that (58), a king named Palaka was enthroned at Ujjain the very day on which Mahavira attained the Nirvana. He (or his dynasty) reigned for 60 years.
Then ensued the Mauryan rule, that is to say Chandragupta Maurya was enthroned 215 years after the death of Mahāvira. This allusion has been extracted from 'Titthogali Painnaya, which is supposed to be much older than both the books viz. Kahavali of Bhadresavara and Parisista Parva of Hemacandra.
It seems that the period of 60 years of the reign of Palaka has completely been omitted in the calculation of Hemacandra's Parisista Parva. Mr. Purna Chandra Nahar, M. A., B.L., M.S., and Mr. Krishna Chandra Gosh, Vedantachintamani write (59), "Hem Chandracharaya must have omitted by oversight to count the period of 60 years of King Palaka after Mahavira's Nirvana" (59)..
Dr. Jacobi has edited Parisisata Pari'a (60). He has observed in the preface to it that Hemacandracarya had composed that work in haste, as a consequence of which the work is studied with errors. Elaborating the subject in the preface itself, Dr. Jacobi has illustrated sever al compositional and grammatical errors comitted by Hemacandra