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JULY, 1914)
THE DATE OF MAHAVIRA
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That MahÂvira was a naked ascetic is stated already by the Acârâiga I, 8, 1 sq. In this respect he differed from his predecessor Pâráva, who had allowed the wearing of two garments.53 Gosala too was a naked mendicant, and seems to have laid down nakedness as a rule for his followers, the â jivikas, whilst Mahâvîra probably let open to his disciple the choice between nakedness and wearing of garments. The Buddhist scriptures frequently speak of naked mendicants, and especially denote the á jivikas as such, e.g., Mahavagga VIII, 15, 3, I, 38, 11 ; 70, 2; CV. VIII, 28, 3; Niss. VI, 2; Samy. Nik. II. 3, 10, 7 etc. But in some of these instances the naked friars are only called titthiya (tirthika), and might well be followers of Mahavira. Moreover, in the report of the 'six classes of Gosala and Parana a difference is made between the nirgranthas of one garment', the householders in white clothes, followers of the naked ascetics' (gihi odalavasana acelakasävaka), and the naked ascetics or ajivikas, which shows, that the Buddhists knew wall the different schools of their rivals. It is very often spoken of the acelas or acelakas, without further definition, and acela is a favourite word with the Jains In (Ang. Nik. I, 206) the nirgranthas are said to command their lay followers to strip themselves naked on the uposa ha days. In CV.V., 10, 1, it is said, that a monk had a water-bowl made of a gourd and the people seeing him said just like the tirthikas'. Now in Acarânga II, 6, 1, 1 it is permitted to the Jains to have bowls made of gourdg5s, and so this may really point to them 5c and in M. V. IV, 1, 12, there are monks keeping the mů gavrata or vow of silence,' which reminds us of the Gotra, where the vow of silence is practised (monapadam gottan), an expression denoting the Jain church in Sütrakrtaiga I, 13, 9 (SBE. XLV, p. 321).
There are certainly other instances, too, proving the same fact, viz., that the Buddhists in very early times had an intimate knowledge of the life and institutions of their opponents, the Nirgranthas or Jains, but I shall not linger over the discussion of these passages. From what has been said above, taken together with the previous instances, supplied by Professor Jacobi and other scholars, may be concluded, that not the slightest doubt is any longer possible as to the fact, that Mahavira and Buddha were different persons, contemporaries and founders of rival communities of monks. But, if we believed the Jain tradition to be right, when it asserts the death of Mahavira to have taken place 470 years before Vikrama, or 527 B. c., we might well doubt whether this is possible. For the death of Buddha, the date of which was first, and in my opinion rightly fixed by General Cunningham and Professor Max Muller, occurred in 477 B. C. ; and as all sources are unanimous in telling us, that he was then 80 years old, he must have been born in 557 B. c. From this is clear, that if Mahâvîra died 527 B.C. Buddha was at that date only 30 years of age, and as he did not attain Buddhahood, and gain no followers before his 36th year, i. e., about 521 B. c., it is quite impossible that he should ever have met Mahavira. Moreover, both are stated to have lived during the reign of Ajátaśatru,
53 Cf. for instance Uttaridhy. XXIII, 13.
51 In this chapter is a curious instance of coincidence between Buddha and Goala, which may undoubtedly have been taken by them both from some Brahmanical source. For in $2 it is told that in a certain night there rose up a catrudipiko mahamegho and rain fell, on which occasion Buddha said to his disciples : Yatha bhikkhave Jelavano ixissati evan catasu dipesu vassati, ovased petha bhikhhave kdyam, ayam pacchimako cátuddipiko mahamegho, o monks, as well as in Jetavana it rains now in the four continente. Strip yourself naked, O monks, for this is the last great cloud over all the four continents.' This 'last' great rain reminds us instantly of the last tornado,' one of the eight finalitios' (attha caramdim) of Gusala, of. Bhagavali p. 1254 sq. and Hoernle in Hastings' Encyclopaedia I, 263.
55 cf. also Aupaput. $ 79, VIL
* In the same chapter monks are told to have had waterbowls made of sculls, which seems con zoquently to have been the use of 60. seots already in very early times.
