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Gentlemen, I should not omit to tell you that Buddha was never a disciple of Mahavira according to Jain Shastras as is said by Hunter and others. The Jains call him a disciple of Pihitashrava. Colebrooke, Stevenson, Major Delamaine, Dr. Hamilton and others confounded Gautama Buddha with Gautama Indrabhuti of the Jains, the chief Ganadhara of Mahavira, and since Gautama Ganadhara was a disciple of Mahavira, it was said that Gautama Buddha was also a disciple of Mahavira. This, however, was never said by the Jains, but by those who confounded: Buddha with Indrabhuti, though this mistaken view was attributed to the Jains. According to the Jains Buddha was a disciple of Pihitashrava.
Buddha not a disciple of Mahavira,
Gentlemen, I should not also omit to tell you what I may call the discovery of a strange coincidence between Jain and Buddhist Scriptures in one respect. I have told you above that in Buddhist works Mahavira is spoken of as one of the six opponent teachers of Buddha, that is, the Buddhists call him a con
temporary of Buddha. The Jain Shastras tell a
similar story.
It has been said above that Buddha Kirti was a disciple of Pihitashrava who lived in the Tirtha of Parshva Nath. Swami Atma Ram traces the Pattavali of the Kavala-gachha from Swami Parshva Nath thus:Shree Parshava Nath
Shubha Datta Ganadhara
Buddha an older contemporary of Mahavira.
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