Contemporaneity and Chronology of Mahavira and Buddha

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

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Mahāvīra and Buddha
Mahāvīra's death, is not correct. According to Muniji, the event should have happened thus : When Mahāvīra was seriously injured by the Tejo-leśyā of his Ājivaka rival, Gośālaka, there prevailed a rumour that Mahāvīra would die within six months, as foretold by Gośālaka. This rumour would have reached Buddha, and consequently the story about Mahāvīra's Nirvāṇa would have become prevalent.
Developing his line of argument, Muni Kalyana Vijayaji writes :2 "The belief of the Buddhist that Buddha died just one year after he had heard about Mahāvīra's deaths (precisely speaking, the rumour of the Mahāvīra's death) gives us a clue to find out the exact interval between the death of Mahāvīra and Buddha.” Further, he states that according to the Bhagavati Sūtra’, Mahāvīra died 16 years after having been injured by the Tejo-leśyā of Gośālaka. On this basis, he has fixed the date of Buddha's Nirvăna. Muni Kalyana Vijayaji also claims that the date of Buddha's Nirvāņa inferred by him, is coincident with the Ceylonese date of Buddha's death.
A Critique
As far as the date of Mahāvīra's Nirvāṇa is concerned, Muni Kalyana Vijayaji's view seems to be quite correct. But it appears that in deciding Buddha's date, he has nearly depended on guesswork. The allusions of the Buddhist scriptures, which relate the event of Mahāvīra's death, have been much distorted by him. Such far-fetched inter
1. See, Bhagwati Sūtra, Šataka, p. 15. 2. Vira-Nirvana Samvat Aura Jaina Kālagananā, p. 15. 3. Sataka, p, 15. 4. Op. cit. p. 160.