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VIEWS OF FOREIGN SCHOLARS
For a proper assessment of the subject at hand, it is worthwhile to look into observations of foreign scholars
in the present context. We shall first take up the views of Dr. H. Jacobi.
Dr. Jacobi's First Approach
It was late Dr. Hermann Jacobi, who first took the lead in making a significant effort (5) in this direction. Dr. Jacobi had added greatly to his credit by having translated four of the Jain canons viz. The Acaranga Sūtra, the Kalpa Sutro, the Sutrakrtanga Sūtra and Uttar - adhyayana Sutra. These translations were published in two volumes in the Sacred Books of the East Series (6), edited by Max Muller, an outstanding scholar of oriental learning. Besides this, Dr. Jacobi has also rendered other valuable services to Jainism, We owe the credit to him for having brought Lord Pars va Natha, the 23rd Tirthankara in the category of historical personalities (7). The fallacy prevalent in the field of history that Jainism was nothing but a branch of Buddhism, was also dis embroiled mainly by Dr. Jacobi (8). He also visited India twice in order to be able to get firsthand knowledge of the Jain traditions in vogue, He established direct contact with many Jain Acaryas during his visits (9).
Dr. Jacobi has referred to the controversy about the dates of the Nirvana of Mahavira and Buddha at two different places and both the descriptions contradict each other. In one review he depicts Māhāvira as having predeceased Buddha and vice versa in the other.
The First Review
His first review appeared in his Introduction to the Acáranga Sūtra in 1884. Describing the events associated with the lives of Mahavira and Buddha he writes (10): "We shall now put side by side the principal events of Buddha's and Mahavira's lives in order to demonstrate their difference. Buddha was born in Kapilavastu, Mahāvira, in a : village near Vaisali; Buddha's mother died after his birth, Mahavira's parents lived to see him a grown up man; Bud
