Nirvan Dating of Tirthankar Mahavira Swami: The Anchor Point of History of India (Proceedings of the 2022 Symposium in Pune, India)

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

While reading numerous books on history and religion by both Indian and Western authors, Pankaj K. Shah noticed that the nirvan (death year) dating of the 24th Jain Tirthankar ranged from 470 BCE to around 1300 BCE, despite all Jain sects believing in 527 BCE as the nirvan year of Mahavir. He also noted the Buddha Nirvan Dating Symposium organized by Prof. Heinz Bechert in 1985 in Göttingen, Germany, which was attended by over 100 scholars from around the world. Based on the extensive proceedings of this symposium, it was observed that the nirvan datings of Buddha and Mahavir were considered inseparable, with Mahavir's nirvan being dependent on Buddha's nirvan dating, as perceived by numerous scholars and historians.

To draw the attention of scholars once again and to address additional discerning views on Mahavir's nirvan dating, Mr. Shah organized a symposium on the Nirvan Dating of Tirthankar Mahavir Swami in Pune, India, in 2022, with the support of the JAINA Academic Liaison Committee and the Jain Center of Greater Boston.

PANKAJKUMAR K. SHAH holds Master of Science degrees in Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, as well as an MBA from leading universities in the USA. He is a prominent international consultant specializing in the design of nuclear reactor vessels and other nuclear power plant components.

He has served as the Chairman of the Board and Jain Pathshala Director at the Jain Center of Greater Boston. Mr. Shah published one of the earliest groundbreaking books on Jain astronomy, "Bridging the Cosmos - Ancient Jain Scriptures Revealed Through Modern Astronomy."

In 2020, he organized the First International Symposium of Jainism and Mathematics and was one of the editors of the proceedings, which were published in 2022 under the title "Mathematics in Ancient Jain Literature."

Bhagwan Mahavir, the 24th Tirthankar, is a very prominent historical figure. I had always believed that the Nirvan year of the 24th Jain Tirthankar was 527 BC, which was widely accepted by the entire Jain community and all sects of Jainism. In fact, it continues to be accepted by most Jains. However, while reading various history books on India and the world, I began to notice a wide range of Nirvan years for Mahavir, ranging from around 468 BC to approximately 1250 BC.

During a discussion on this topic with Dr. Sulekh Jain, he directed me to an article by the renowned Jain and Buddhist scholar, Dr. Sagarmal Jain. In this article, Dr. Sagarmal Jain suggests 468 BC as the year of Mahavir's Nirvan. This particular article prompted us to delve deeper into this subject.

For scholars of religion and philosophy, and for many followers of Jainism, the question may arise as to what extent the precise dating of the nirvana of Mahāvīra is of any philosophical or religious significance. The answer is: perhaps. The amount of words of Mahāvīra that have been passed down to us through tradition is quite limited. Also, if we assume that kevalajñāna is possible and that Mahāvīra was a sarvajña or omniscient person, we must realize that he gave answers to questions that were asked in his own time; had he lived today, he would at least to some extent have spoken and acted differently. To know precisely when he lived may, or may not, help us in understanding the exact historical context in which he spoke and may give us a more detailed insight into why he spoke and acted as he did. In any case, it is not wrong for us to ascertain the exact dates of his life in so far as available data enable us to.