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On hearing the news about the passing away of Mahavira, his very intimate disciple Ganadhara Gautama was very much afflicted with grief. The same thing happened to Ananda who was a close and faithful associate of the Buddha, and Ananda began to cry. Shortly after the outburst of this grief, Ganadhara Gautama attained his omniscience. Ananda became an Arhat sometime after the passing away of the Buddha. .
On their respective life-spans, Mahavira and the Buddha held widely different views. Mahāvira said,
"As to the possibility of increasing the life-span (of a Tirthankara), well, this has never happened, nor can it ever happen".
But, according to the Buddha,
"'The Tathāgata is capable to live as long as a whole kalpa if he so chooses".
Kalpa Sutta is the source book on the episode of Mahavira's liberation. Adopted from this source, it has been elaborated in the commentaries, curnis and biographies. Kalpa Sūtra is believed to have been composed by Bhadrabahu who was the seventh Acārya since Mahăvira. Since it was first composed till the time of Devardhi Kşamāsramana when it was put into writing which event took place in c. 453 A. D. , it appears that there had been a number of interpolations in the Sūtr a which became an integral part of it. Bhadrabāhu's own time is believed to be . 371-357. B.C.
The story of the liberation of the Buddha is contained in the Mahā-parinivvāna Sutta of the Dīgha Nikāya. This Sutta includes sundry other discussions which one comes across at several places in other Tripitakas. From this it should appear that this Sutta was compiled on the basis of later gleanings. Of course, the Digha Nikaya. is a part of the Tripitakas, but even Western Orientalists like Rhys Davids, E.J. Thomas and Wintenitz are of opinion that the Mahāparinivyāna Sutta must have been added at a somewhat later period (4). This, however, should not be taken to mean that the Mahāparinivvāna
