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Rishibhashit : A Study
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Nigganth Nataputta and believed to be a senior contemporary of Buddha. According to the Nirvana years of Buddha and Mahavir, Buddha appears to be approximately 30 years younger to Mahavir. He has been recognised as one of the six Teerthankar contemporaries of Buddha. The references about him in the Pali literature have been thoroughly researched by Indian as well as Western scholars, As such I do not feel the need to discuss much about the subject here.
I would only like to discuss one point from Thergatha Atthakatha,229 that has been neglected by scholars. In the Atthakatha of Thergatha, Vaddhaman-ther has been mentioned as a Lichchhavi prince of Vaishali. This is the information which relates him to Vardhaman Mahavir. After a comparative study I have arrived at the conclusion that not all the Thers of Thergatha belonged to the Buddhist tradition. Thoughts of many famous pre-Buddha Sramans have been included in it. However, due to sectarian polarisation, efforts have been made in Atthkatha to connect them to Buddhist tradition.
As Rishibhashit and Uttaradhyayan of Jains have compiled thoughts of Rishis of other Sraman traditions, Thergatha also has compiled thoughts of Rishi's of other Sraman traditions. On this basis, I believe that Vaddhaman of Rishibhashit and Vaddhaman of Thergatha are same. At the same time Nigganth Nataputta of Pali Tripitak and Vardhaman Mahavir of Jains are same as Vaddhaman of Thergatha and Rishibhashit. On this basis the historicity of Vardhaman is also clearly established in Thergatha also Vardhaman-ther has talked of abandoning attachment just like in Aacharanga and Uttaradhyayan.
30. VAYU
The thirtieth chapter of Rishibhashit230 is about the Rishi named Vayu. Besides Rishibhashit nowhere else in Jain canonical literature can one find a mention of Vayu Rishi. Although the third out of eleven chief disciples (Ganadhar) of Mahavir was named Vayubhati,231 it is difficult to say that he was same as Vayu Rishi, Because, on this issue no evidence is available within or without the tradition, in Buddhist tradition Vayu has been mentioned only as a god.
In Vedic sources also, Vayu has been accepted only as a god. Only Shantiparva of Mahabharat mentions an ancient Rishi Vayu who visited Bhishm while he was on the arrow-bed. Similarly Shaly aparva of Mahabharat mentions about Vayu-chakra, Vayu-jwal, Vayubal, Vayu
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