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93
"Enough Subhadda: Let this matter rest whether they, according to their own assertion have thoroughly understood things, or whether they have not, or whether some of them have understood and some have not! The truth, Ananda will I teach you, Listen well to that and give ear attentively, and I will speak'.
" 'Even so, Lord !' said the mendicant Subhadda in assent, to the Blessed One.
"The above event raises a question in our mind whether Mahavira was alive up to the last day of Buddha's life. But again we may ask whether the question of Subhadda was about the living Tirthankaras or merely a discussion of the views of deceased Tirthankaras?"
The above question shows that Sri Ramapuria has vigilantly reflected upon the situation. It often happens that such questions are put up only in the form a 'wont'. The above question of Subhadda definitely seems to be a customary usage of speaking together the names of all the six Tirthankaras. This is also proved by the fact that the names of Makhali Gosalaka and Purana Kassapa also appear in the above list of Subhadda, whereas it is unanimously believed and definitely known that both of them had died long before Buddha's Nirvana (135).
HISTORIANS' VIEW
Much has been written on the present issue by the Western as well as the Eastern historians. A detailed discussion of all the different views would be too lengthy a task to be discussed in the present treatise. We quote, here a view, which can be regarded as a theme of the present-day historians' approach. In An Advanced History of India, written by the top-most historians of India, Dr. R.C. Majumdar, Dr. H.C. Raychawdhri, and Dr. K.K, Dutta, the subject has been elucidated to a great extent. It is to be noted that this work consisting of more than 1100 pages, has been prescribed as a text-book of history for the post graduate studies in almost all the Universities of India. In the first part Ancient Ind ia of the above treatise, in the context of Nirvana the authors observe (136): The event is said to have happened 215 years
| SR No. | 022804 |
| Book Title | Agama And Tripitaka Comparative Study |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Nagaraj Muni |
| Publisher | Today and Tomorrows Printers and Publishers |
| Publication Year | 1986 |
| Total Pages | 804 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 19 MB |