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took place 4 years after, 260 B. O. But if we start by taking the Nirvana in 544 B. C., Asoka's date of accession would be raised to 330 B. C., “just 66 years before Antiochus II. succeeded to the throne of Syria and 58 years before his contemporary Alexander II succeeded to the ihrone of Epirus." As we have already said the Buddhist line of teachers froin Buddha's death to the time of Asoka being natural and unbroken, the date of the Nirvana itself must be shifted down 66 years i. e. it must be brought down from 544 B. C, to 478 B C.
The next argument of Cunningham's need not be entered into, it being based on assuming Buddha to be a disciple of Mahavira. -
Cunningham bases his third argument on a Sanskrit inscription discovered by him, at Gayą, which states that the 1st of the waping moon of Karttika 1813 A. B. fell on a Wednesday. The mention of this week day, Wednesday, serves to show that the
Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat
www.umaragyanbhandar.com
