________________
OCTOBER, 1968
to have been compiled before the beginning of the Vikram era (56 B.C.) 30 while Aṭṭhakathās are regarded to have been written in the 5th century of the Vikram era.31 It may well be a cause of their difference. In all the traditions, episodic matters, getting transmitted by verbal versions, are compiled in written form only after a time-gap of centuries. The Buddhist narrative about the king's murder emphatically exposes the cruelty of Ajatasatru, while the Jaina narrative presents it in a moderate way. The Buddhist version of cutting the feet, putting salt and roasting them, appears to be the most inhuman, while according to the Jainas, Srenika suffered only imprisonment with no tortures like starving, etc. Even death is stated to be the outcome of suicide by the king himself. On the contrary, Ajatasatru is accused of patricide as per the Buddhist tradition. All these facts tend to prove that Ajatasatru was a follower of Jainism.
Jain Education International
69
To be Continued
30 Pt. Dalsukha Malvania, Agama Yug-ka Jain Darsan, Sanmati Gyana Pitha, Agra, 1966, p. 29.
1 Bhiksu Dharmaraksita, Acarya Buddhaghosa, Mahabodhi Sabha, Sarnath, Varanasi, 1956, p. 7.
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
