Identification of Some Rsis as Depicted in Sutrakrtanga
Summary
Arun Pratap Singh examines the names of several sages (Ṛṣis) mentioned in the Jain canonical text Sūtrakṛtāṅga—Nami, Rāmaputta, Bahuka, Nārāyaṇa, Asita Devala, Dvaipāyana and Parāśara—and seeks to determine whether they were historical figures or legendary constructs. The article compares the brief descriptions in Sūtrakṛtāṅga with accounts found in Buddhist Jātakas, the Uttarādhyayana and Vedic and Mahābhārata literature. Nami, for example, appears across Jain, Buddhist and Vedic sources as an ascetic king of Videha; Asita Devala is portrayed in the Mahābhārata as an aged seer renowned for his penance; and Dvaipāyana corresponds to Vyāsa, author of the Mahābhārata and preacher of mokṣa dharma. By identifying similar narratives across traditions, the author argues that these sages were likely historical personages who lived before or around the time of Mahāvīra and the Buddha. While acknowledging the limitations of relying on textual evidence alone, the article suggests that overlapping descriptions across independent sources justify considering these Ṛṣis as historical and not merely allegorical figures.
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Conclusion
The article concludes that the sages referenced in Sūtrakṛtāṅga correspond to identifiable historical figures known from Buddhist and Vedic literature. The convergence of descriptions across independent traditions supports their historicity and suggests they predate Mahāvīra and the Buddha. This comparative analysis highlights Jainism’s engagement with broader Indian intellectual traditions and underscores the value of cross‑textual research in reconstructing early history.