In a hill town, three hours away from the Silicon City of Bangalore, a 57-foot tall statue of Bahubali bears testimony to nonviolence. According to the Jain legends, Bahubali was a prince; the son of a King who had a hundred sons and two daughters. It is believed that Bahubali existed millions of years ago. The two-part melodramatic film, recently released in two parts, bears few similarities to the story of the Jain prince but none of the merit.
The real Bahubali, a revered figure among the Jains, is the son of the first Tirthankara (spiritual teacher), Rishabhanatha. His exact timeline is impossible to verify, for, in Jainism, you could replace ‘millions of years ago’ with ‘decillions of years’ ago – and still run up short.
The Indologist, Helmuth von Glasenapp, states that Jainism divides time in a special way. It starts with a moment (Samaya – the time an atom takes to traverse its own length) and extends up to a year (Samvatsara). But then, the numbers grow exponentially. 8.4 million years make a Purvanga and 8.4 million Purvangas make a Purva. Rishabhanatha was 20 million Purva years old when he was anointed king – and he then ruled for 63 million Purva years.
The story of Bahubali, being a myth, doesn’t exist in any fixed time frame. In fact, prior to the eighth century B.C., it’s a leap for Indian historians to prove historicity for anything. But it’s the message, not the date, that counts.
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