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The Isibhasiyai and Pali Buddhist Texts-A Study
class householder (gähäpatiputta) suggesting that usually the isis were of advanced age and hailed from the upper class of the society, mostly Brahmanas and Kṣatriyas. Four Brahmana parivrājakas (non-śramanic wanderer-ascetic), namely Pingala (No. 32), Isigiri (Rsigiri) (No. 34), Sirigiri (Śrigiri) (No. 37) and Divayana (Dvipayana) (No. 40) are mentioned in the text; while three of them are designated as Arahat and Isi, Isigiri (No. 34) is called only Arahata.
Buddhist Influence
As we earlier have seen, the Isibhāsiyāi includes the assertions of a number of sages which definitely are either of Buddhist or Brahmanic folds. A number of its verses are parallel to early Pali Buddhist texts, some of them being almost exactly the same, both in general form and content. This feature of the text points to its being very ancient, probably soon after some of the more ancient texts of the Pali Tipitaka. The inclusion of the sages not belonging to the Jaina, leaves no doubt that the 'sages' or seers' in true sense were equally revered and honoured by other religionists also, notwithstanding their philosophical differences or ecclesiastical and religious practices. The Isibhäsiyat in this respect is an illustrious text, indeed very important for the cultural study of ancient India, revealing as it does the cultural commonality shared by all the religionists of that period. Saintly personages in ancient India were held in the highest esteem by the society and they commanded the utmost respect. This fact is known from several sources, but mainly from literature.
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The account of these Isis in the text is called Ajjhayana (Skt. Adhyayana) or 'study' of the philosophical views of the sages. However, neither chronological order nor sect-wise grouping can be noticed in the text. It contains rather an arbitrary selection and equally arbitrary ordering of the Isis.
The very first Ajjhayana is about Narada. Narada is a popular "Devarși” in the Brahmanical mythology; in the Pali text also, the personages bearing the name Narada are equally popular. Pali texts mention as many as 18 persons with this appelation. It is difficult to ascertain the identity of the Nafada of the Isibhasiyai with any found in the Pali texts. There is one Thera Narada in the Samyutta-Nikaya (II, 115) who declares himself as being aware of the nature of Nibbana, but he is not an Arakanta. The ninth out of the twenty-four Buddhas was also called by this name (but not Paccekabuddha). Two sages called 'Narada' are mentioned in the Jatakas. One is described as a "sage', brother of Kaladevala and pupil of Jotipala in the Indriya Jataka (No. 433) and the other is an ascetic, son of sage Kassapa who finds mention in the Cullanarada Jātaka (No. 220). Obviously, the Isibhäsiäi text may have refered to any of these sages having this name, but probably not that of the Brahmanical mythology, as we do not find any hint toward him in the Iribhasiyai.
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