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The Date of Mahavira
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In Buddhacarya, which is a systematised collection of the Hindi translation of the selected passages from ancient Buddhist literature, especially Tripitka literature, it is stated (p. 248) that the Lord Buddha spent his 17th rainy season (after enlightenment) at Rajagrha; and then follows the Hindi translation Mahasakuludayi-Sutta (M., II. 3-7) in which it is said (p. 249) that on that particular occasion both the Buddha and Nigantha Nataputta spent their rainy season at Rajagrha. Taking 567 B.C. as the date of the birth of the Buddha this comes to 516 B.C.
On the basis of the life of Mahâvîra written by Muni Ratna-Prabha Vijaya, who has closely followed the early traditional literature on the subject, we find that if we take 561 B.C. as the date of the birth of Mahâvîra, he spent one of his rainy seasons in 516 B.C. at Rajagrha. This was his 16th rainy season in his ascetic life (i. e., after leaving his home which event took place in December of 532 B.C. according to our calculation). In the rainy season of 513 B.C. also both the Buddha and Mahâvîra were at Rajagrha. So the date 561 B.C. as the date of the birth of Mahâvîra is able not only to show that the Buddha survived Mahâvîra but also to make both the teachers spend the same rainy season at Rajagrha. This is highly useful in as much as it also confirms the statement in the Buddhist literature and shows that Pali texts are not fancy and invention.'
As Charpentier collected, though for a different purpose, some examples of this situation when the Buddha and Mahâvîra were living at the same place or in the same locality we shall begin with the passages pointed out by Charpentier (1A, 1914, pp. 126-128).
1. “The well-known introduction to the Samannaphalasutta (D. I. p. 47 sq.) telling us how king Ajatasatru of Magadha paid visits to one after another of the six heretical teachers Purana Kassapa, Makkhali Gosala, Ajita Keshakambala, Pakudha Kaccayana, Sanjaya Belathiputta and Nigantha Nataputta to hear their doctrines, and at last discontented with all he had learnt too refuge with the Buddha, inay be a little exaggerated, as it is not very credible that Ajatasatru saw sever great teachers after each other in one single night.20 But the main content of it is undoubtedly true, as much as we can control the facts narrated,
