Contemporaneity and Chronology of Mahavira and Buddha

Author(s): Nagrajmuni, Mahendramuni
Publisher: Today and Tomorrows Book Agency

Page 129

Research and Conclusion
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works enlist them as the successors of Ajātaśatru.1 This can be said to be an untolerable blunder from the historical point of view. Besides such inconsistencies, the chronological beliefs of the Mahāvaṁśa such as "Buddha's death in the 8th
1. The greatest blunder committed by the historians in believing the Ceylonese chronology which states Śiśunāga as the successor of Ajātagatru, is probably due to the misinterpretation of the following verse of the Purāņ.
Aṣṭātrimśacchatam bhāvyā pradyotahpañcate sutāḥ ! Hatva teṣāṁ yasth rtsanamsisunako bhaviṣyati !!
The meaning of this verse becomes clear in the light of the foregoing discussion. To make it more clear, we should know that in Purānas, the name of the king of the dynasties of Kali age are mentioned in the following order:
(2) The king of Pandava-dynasty from Abhimanyu, who fought in the Mahābhārata war, to Kṣemaka, the fourth king to reign after Udayan, the contemporary of Buddha. This dynasty first reigned at Hastinapura and later on removed the seat of its rule to Kauśambi, during the reign of Nicaksus, the successor of Adhisimakrişna.
(ii) The king of Ikṣavāku-dynasty from Brhadvalo, who fought in the Mahabharata war, to Sumitra, the fourth king to reign after Prasenjita, the contemporary of Buddha. This dynasty reigned at Śrävasti in Kosala.
(iii) The king of Lunar dynasty of Pandava and successors of Brhadratha from Sahadeva, who fought in the Mahabharata war to Ripuñjya, the predecessor of Canda Pradyota (Mahasena), the contemporary of Buddha. The successors of Bahadratha (i.e. Barhadrathas) are also called Magadhās probably because they belonged to the dynasty of Bṛhadratha, Jarasandha, etc. who were the rulers of Magadha, and also Somādhi, the son of Sahadeva established his reign at Girivraja in Magadha after the Mahabharata war. But, after giving the chronology of the twenty-two kings, the Purāņas say:
Purna varṣasahasram vai teṣām rajyam bhavisyati!
(Contd. on next page)