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Gentlemen, I should not omit to tell you that Buddha was never a disciple of Mahavira according to Jain Shastras as is said by Hunter and others. The Jains call him a disciple of Pihitashrava. Colebrooke, Stevenson, Major Delamaine, Dr. Hamilton and others confounded Gautama Buddha with Gautama Indrabhuti of the Jains, the chief Ganadhara of Mahavira, and since Gautama Ganadhara was a disciple of Mahavira, it was said that Gautama Buddha was also a disciple of Mahavira. This, however, was never said by the Jains, but by those who confounded Buddha with Indrabhuti, though this mistaken view was attributed to the Jains. According to the Jains Buddha was a disciple of l'ihitashrava.
Buddha not a dis. iple of Mahavira.
Gendemen, I should not also omit to tell you what I may call the discovery of a strange coincidence between Jain and Buddhist Scriptures in one respect. I have told you above that in Buddhist works Mahavira is spoken of as one of the six opponent teachers of Buddha, that is, the Buddhists call him a con
temporary of Buddha. The Jain Shastras tell a
similar story.
It has been said above that Buddha Kirti was a disciple of Pihitashrava who lived in the Tirtha of Parshva Nath. Swami Atma Ram traces the l'attavali of the Kavala-gachha from Swami Parshva Nath thus:Shree Parshava Nath
Shubha Datta Ganadhara
Buddha an obter contemporary of Mahavira.