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such a brilliant exposition of religion as thou hast done", signify his full confidence in the religion of the nirgranthas. Therefore, Ajatasatru's utterance to the Buddha were a mere formality befitting a meeting with a holy man, and does not prove that he had ever become a follower of the Buddha,
Whereas Ajātasatru met the Buddha only once(86), he had several meetings with Mahāyira(87). Even after the death of Mahāvira, he was present at the Council'that met under the guidance of Sud har mã, the successor of Bhaga - gần Mahavira to the spiritual throne(88).
Vincent Smith has written,
"Both Buddhists and Jainas have claimed him as one of themselves. The Jain claim appears to be well founded"(89). :
According to Radha Kumud Mook erjee, so long as both Mahāvira and the Buddha were alive, Ajātasatru was a follower of Mahavira"(90). He writes further,
"As it is often found in the Jaina tradition, both Ajātasatru and Udaibhadda have been described as men of good character because both were the followers of the Jaina religion. And this is the reason why the Buddhist texts have given a black paint on their character". (translated from Hindi) (91).
There are other evidences too which would suggest that he could not have been a follower of the Buddha, viz., his intimacy with Devadatta, who happened to be an enemy of the Buddha, his enmity with the Vajjis who were the great favourites of the Buddha, and the last but not least, the war with Pras enajit who was a great devotee and follower of the Buddha.
The Buddhist tradition has described him to be a patricide(92). But after he had confessed his guilt and expressed repentance, the Jainas ha ve called him to be obedient to his father(93). These events are sufficiently expressive of his nearness to one religion and distance from the other.
