Age of the Nandas and Mauryas c12.s9.18

c12.s9.18

Confirmation of these traditions is however lacking. Two inscriptions of Śravaṇa Belgola, of course, refer to Bhadrabāhu and Chandragupta but they belong only to the 10th century A. D. Aśoka does not take any special interest in the religion of his grandfather except ordering his officials to look after them as after the Ājīvikas and other religious communities. It should also be remembered that although Aśoka and his grandson make gifts of cave dwellings to the Ājīvikas they do not do anything of the kind to the Nirgranthas. As to the spread of the Nirgrantha religion to Bengal, the Divyāvadāna speaks of their presence in Puṇḍravardhana (North Bengal) in the time of Aśoka but only as parivrājakas and not as members of an organised church. As to the schisms, it may be noted that the established Jaina philosophy does not bear the stamp of the new philosophical doctrines which their leaders are said to have introduced. Besides the doctrine of kṣaṇika, which Aśvamitra is said to have opposed, was not a Jaina doctrine but belonged to Buddhism. Under these circumstances it is impossible to accept the traditional story as historical.