Age of the Nandas and Mauryas c12.s9.17

c12.s9.17

Another tradition recorded in the Niryukti of the Avaśyaka-sūtra speaks of a certain number of schisms in the Church. The leaders of the schismatic monks are said to have maintained philosophical views different from those taught by Mahāvīra. Three such schisms occurred in the 4th and 3rd centuries B.C. The first of these was led by one Āṣādhasena who, we are told, carried the doctrine of syādvāda to an impossible extreme and also maintained that there was no difference between accomplished ascetics and gods. The second was led by Aśvamitra who refused to admit the doctrine of kṣaṇika, and the third by Gaṅga who admitted the perception of two sensations simultaneously.