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Krishna in the Gita. According to Jain tradition Bhagwaan Krishna was contemporary of Tirthankar Neminatha who preceded Parsvanatha.
Historicity of twenty-third Tirthankar (Parsvanatha as an Historic Figure)
H. Jacobi and others have proved on the authority of both the Jaina and the Buddhist records that Parsvanatha was an historical personage. (Sbe, XLV, pp. xx-xxiii.) Their arguments are as follows:
1. In the Buddhist scriptures, there is a reference to the
four vows (Chaturyama Dharma) of Parsvanatha. The Buddhists could not have used the term Chaturyama Dharma for the Nigganthas unless they had heard it from the followers of Parsvanatha. This proves the correctness of the Jaina tradition that the followers of Parsvanatha, in fact, existed at the time of Mahavira. 2. The Nigganthas were an important sect at the time of
the rise of Buddhism, as may be inferred from the fact that they are frequently mentioned in the PiTakas as opponents of Buddha and his disciples. This is further supported by another fact. Mankhali GoSala, a contemporary of Buddha and Mahavira, divided
