Early Sources of the Jaina Tradition

ISBN-13: 9781138774827 / Angielski / Twarda / 2025 / 256 str.

Bansidhar Bhatt

Opis

Looking at the early history of Jainism, from 6^th century BCE onwards, this book focuses on one of the 24 Jinas that are identified as the main religious leaders of Jainism. It is a commonly accepted hypothesis that Parsvanatha, the 23^rd Jina, is an historical figure whose values were modified by Mahavira, the 24^th Jina. The book challenges this hypothesis by analysing a wide range of textual sources, some of which have never been examined in the context of the 23^rd Jina. History of the Jaina Tradition discusses how the sources can be interpreted to reflect a Jain reform movement in the 3^rd to 2^nd BCE, and it shows how the values associated with Parsvanatha are the result of a construction after the doctrine of Mahavira. The book argues that this therefore goes against the idea that Parsvanatha lived prior to him. Presenting an innovative analysis and a new interpretation of Jaina sources, this book is a valuable contribution to studies of South Asian History and Religion.

Spis treści

1. Introduction 2. Pārśva’s legendary character investigated from Jaina sources 3. The terms: vrata and yama 4. Jinas‘ Life-spans and Jinantaras 5. Relevant issues 6. Appendices

O autorze

Bansidhar Bhatt was Professor for Indology at the University of Munster, Germany.