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Jainism
distinguishes the third stage from the previous two, though the difference cannot be said so essentially. It is but natural to find similarly between some incidents and episodes described in these biographies of Mahavira and those occurring in the stories relating to Kṛṣṇa and Rāma. It can be safely stated that the biographies of Mahavira belonging to this stage can well enter into race with those concerning other personages. It is, therefore quite understandable that a due place is given in these later biographies to some very uncommon occurrences which are not found in those of the earlier stages written in Prakrit. Besides, the difference that was formed in the biographies written from the Svetambara and Digambara viewpoints, becomes very obvious in the biographies of this stage, as for example, the marriage of Mahavira and the food of Tirthankara. Inspite of this, it is clear that no difference is found in the fundamental Jain theory according to which a soul achieves perfection passing through regular stages of development. Keeping this basic principle in mind, the narration of extraordinary episodes is attempted so that it is not violated.
The biographies of Buddha also differ on account of sectarian differences. According to writers belonging to Hinayana, Buddha is portrayed as a human being, while he assumes the size and status of the Buddha who is eternal and who is an incarnation according to the writers belonging to Mahayana. On account of this, the element of ordinary conduct of an ordinary human being finds entry into these biographies. Just as kṛṣṇa and Rāma in their incarnations behave like ordinary human beings, Buddha also does so, as for example, he goes to school, marries, does all other worldly works etc. etc. About learning also it is said in the biographies of Mahavira that Mahavira had no need to learn because he had special types of knowledge from the very infancy but along with this it is also true that he was neither God nor an Omniscient being at that time. We can take this feature as an extra-ordinary gift. But in the biographies of Buddha, it is mentioned that he possessed omniscience in childhood even or in his life as a householder. Besides, going one step forward, it is found there that Buddha tries like kṛṣṇa, to please his eightyfour thousand wives. This is nothing but his worldly experiences, which we come across here and there throughout the book. The name of Buddha's wife found in his biographies written in Pali is Yashoda while in those written in Sanskrit it is Gopa which reminds us of Kṛṣṇa's Gopis. Not only this, but this Gopa occupies the top position as Radhā.
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Moreover, Buddha and Gopa have been portrayed as possessing all the virtues from the beginning and as undergoing them. There are many such elements providing reason to believe that the biography is not one of an ordinary human being but of a being who is an incarnation.
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