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Historicity of Jain
Tirthankars
JAINA Convention, San
Jose
July 2, 2005
Yashwant K.
Malaiya
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Historicity of Jain Tirthankars
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Antiquity of Jainism: Tradition and history
Tirthankaras in Brahmin and Buddhist books
The Shramana tradition
Historicity of Lord Neminath, Parshvanath
&Mahavira
Archaeological evidence and Indus Valley
Civilization
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Outline
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History and tradition
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Historical analysis
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Jain: before and after Mahavira
Ajivaka: Goshalaka and others
Buddhist: Gautam and other Buddhas, Devadatta
The Brahmanical tradition
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Oral and written tradition
The Shramana tradition
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Texts and archaeological
Vedic and Puranic
Archaeological Evidence
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Historical Analysis
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Tradition vs. history
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Tradition: Oral and written
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History: critical analysis, academic
Sources of information
Texts (tradition)
 Archaeological objects and inscriptions
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Critical analysis
Cross-checking
 Self-chcking
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Example: My genealogy
I compiled my family history 35 years ago.
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Oral tradition:
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Hard evidence
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interviewed several people from my grandfather’s generation,
and two from a previous generation
Cross-checked facts
Sacks of old letters
Inscribed pots and pans with ancestors’ initials: HT
Great-great-grandfather’s name only available through
my grandfather’s memory. I accept this oral tradition.
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Tradition vs. History
Traditions becomes history:
Kalpasutra sthiravali was only tradition until Mathura
excavations in 1884-1896. Ganas, shakhas etc
mentioned were confirmed by Kushana (78-176 CE)
inscriptions.
Tradition lost but history found:
 No tradition about King Kharvela of Kalinga. Known
only from Hathigumpha inscription.
Both tradition and archaeological finds provide occasional
samples, from which history is constructed.
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The 24 Jinas
Swetambara: Logassa Sutra (Avashyaka sutra)
Digambara: Thossami Thudi (Tirthankara)
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Identifying the Tirthankaras:
Rishabha & Parshva
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Identifying the Tirthankaras:
Lanchhanas (post-Gupta)
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Ancient Idols from Mathura
Images identified using inscriptions & hair/hood:
 Ayagapatta: Parshva
 Panel: Diksha of Rishabha
Kushana period (78-176 CE):
 Seated: Vardhamana, Sambhava, Suvrata,
Rishabha, Arishtanemi, Parshva
 Standing: Vardhamana, Arishtanemi, Parshva
 4-sided: Parshva and Rishabha identifiable on
most of them
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Vardhamana-Mahavira
Last Jina (599 BCE-527 BCE)
 Nirvana at Pava
 Founder of Nirgranth order
 Mentioned as Niggantha Nataputta in Buddhist texts
 His Nirvana at Pava mentioned in Buddhist texts
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The Parshva Tradition
Parshva: 23rd Jina (10th cent BCE)
 Keshi of Parshva tradition met Gautam, disciple
of Mahavira and discussed differences in
doctarines
 Other accounts of Parshvatha monks in Lord
Mahvira’s time
 Historicity accepted
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ShramanTraditions
Jain
Mahavira
Jain
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Buddhist
Ajivika
Gautam
Goshal
Buddhist
Ajivika
Others
Prior and later existence of the three shraman
traditions!
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Former Buddhas
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Jataka: Gautam was 25th
Buddha
Last 8 at Ajanta
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Phussa, Vipassi, Sikhi, Vessabhu,
Kakusandha, Konagamana,
Kassapa, and Gotama
Ashoka erected pillar at
Konagaman’s (23rd) birth
site in 249 BCE at
Nigligawa.
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Devadata
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Cousin of Siddhartha, important
leader of Buddha’s order
Demanded
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Vegetarianism, must beg for food
Live in forests, not monastaries
No new clothes
Split and formed separate order
What happened to his order?
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Chinese Visitors
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Faxian (Fahsien), visited
India 399-414
Xuangzang (Huan Tsang),
from 629-645 AD
They found Devadatta’s
monks!
Worshipped at earlier
Buddhas’ stupas but not
Gautam’s!
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Ajivikas: Makkhali Goshal
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Mentioned in Bhagavati Sutra, Avashyaka Sutra
Churni, and Buddhist Samannaphala Sutta etc.
Follower of Mahavira for 6 years
Joined Ajivikas and became their leader
Ajivika order existed before him
Encounter with Gautam Buddha
 Names of his predecessors available!
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Ajivikas
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Some Ajivikas were
friendly towards
Buddhist monks
Ajivika informs
Mahakassapa of
Nirvana
Ajivikas survived until
12-15th century CE!
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Vedas/Upanishads/Puranas
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Vedic Sanskrit
Many passages directly or indirectly mention
about Tirthankaras
Can be translated differently
All Brahmin Puranas mention Nabhi, Rishabha,
Bharata.
Bhagavata Purana in most detail.
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Vedas
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Ach. Hemachandra: Jinas mentioned in Vedas
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Dr. Radhakrishnan:
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Mentions misinterpreted or deleted
Yajurveda: Rishabha, Ajit, Arishtanemi
Rigveda: Vrashabha, Pashupati, Keshi
Rishabha = Pashupati in vedic texts
 Keshi: chief of Vatarashana munis =Rishabha
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TN Ramachandran: Shishnadeva =Rishabh
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Srimat Bhagavat Canto 5
Chap 3:Rishabhadeva's Appearance in the Womb of Merudevî, the
Wife of King Nâbhi
Chap 4:The Characteristics of Rishabhadeva
Thus .. most exalted in as well his bodily features as in having all the qualities
as described by the poets, did the father thus give Him because of His
strength, beauty, fame, .., the name Rishabha, the best one.
Of his sones was indeed the eldest, Bharata, a great practitioner of yoga; he
had the best qualities and it was he of whom this land was called Bhâratavarsha by the people.
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Srimat Bhagavat Canto 5
5: Lord Rishabhadeva's Teachings to
His Sons
Lord Rishabha said: 'My dear sons: This body carried by
all within this material world … is worth the trouble of
the austerities and penances for the sake of the divine
from which the heart becomes purified and for certain an
unending spiritual happiness is found.
Although He remained with what He was at home, accepted
He, only physically, like a madman with his hair
unkempt, the sky for His .dress and roamed He, .., far
and wide from Brahmâvarta.
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Srimat Bhagavat Canto 5
6: Lord Rishabhadeva's Activities
Lord Rishabhadeva who Himself was free from any vital
interest. He on His own traveled the lands of South India:
Konka, Venka and Kuthaka in the province of Karnâta,
and reached a forest nearby Kuthakâcala. There .. He …
wandered around naked and with scatted hair. With a
fierce forest fire blazing all around that was caused by the
friction of bamboo's tossed by the force of the wind, was
His body then in that forest burned to ashes.
Hearing of His pastimes of being free from all ritual and
custom, took the king of Konka, Venka and Kuthaka
who carried the name Arhat to an imitation of them
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Mohenjodaro Harappa
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Seals: Kayotsarga & Padmasan
Correspondence: seals with lanchhanas
Chanda, Mukerjee, Joseph Campbell etc.: Jain
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Mohenjodaro, Lohanipur,
Chausa
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Mohenjodaro: 3000-1500 BCE
Lohanipur: Maurya 300 BCE, Chausa: 1st C CE
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Conclusions
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Tradition and Historicity: connected
Lord Mahavira was not the founder of Jainism.
Several branches of Sraman tradition existed
before his time.
Existence of former Tirthankaras consistent
with evidence
Future discoveries are possible!
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Questions
Some of the questions asked by the audience:
 Was one of the tirthankaras a cousin of Shri
Krishna?
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Yes, Lord Neminath, the 22nd tirthankara, was a
cousin of Shri Krishna; both were born in the Yadu
clan.
Wasn’t one of the tirthankaras a woman?
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According to Shvetamabara tradition, Lord Mallinath
(19th) was female. In Digambara tradition, Lord
Mallinath is male.
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Questions
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Historically, when did Lord Rishabha live?
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In historical analysis, cross-checking is needed for
establishing a date satisfactorily. Any cross-checking is not
possible for events before Lord Mahavira. The Mahabharata
war is perhaps the earliest event that we can attempt to date,
about 1000-1200 BCE; that corresponds to Lord Nemi, the
22nd Tirthankara.
What does the term “Shraman” mean?
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A shraman is a wandering monk, the term is applicable to
Jain and Buddhist monks. The shraman tradition includes
Jain, Buddhist and other associated traditions, as opposed to
the Vedic/Brahmanical tradition.
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Questions
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There is a view that Jainism represents the Dravidian
culture as opposed to the Vedas which represent the
Aryan culture.
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Indian culture is a synthesis of both Aryan and Dravidian
cultures. Lord Rishabh and several of the other Tirthankaras
were born in the well-known aryan Ikshvaku clan, and some
of the acharyas are called Arya.
Were the Tirthankaras married or unmarried?
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Some of the Tirthankaras were not married, others were
married. Lord Rishabh had two famous sons, Bharat Chakri
and Lord Bahubali.
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Discussion
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