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J. C. Sikdar
south of the Ganges as found in the account of religious tours and propagation of religion of Mahavira were also the fields of religious tours and propagation of religiou of the Nirgranthas belonging to the Pâreva. parampara. In this way many referances are come across in the Agamas to the meeting of Mahavira with the Parsvāpatylyas at Rājagyha, etc.
According to Dhurmagandit Kosambi Gautama Bodhisatta practised the austerity of Samadhimarga or Alära. Having left the palace, he first went to the hermitage of Alara and made study of Yogamarga. The latter taught him secil steps or stages of attaining Samadhi. Next he went to Udraka Ramaputra and learnt eight stages of attaining Samadhi, but lie was not satisfied with this attainment because the conflict of human life was not resolved by this Samadhi. Then he came to Rajagrha from the hermitage of Udraka Ramaputra. There he perhaps liked the Caturyāma samvaras of the Sramanas by staying in their midst, for it is observed that he accommodated these four vows in Arya Aştāngikamärgas formu. lated by him on the attainment of his spiritual enlightenment. It may be surmised from this evidence that the Buddha fully accepted the four vows of Caturyāma of Parsva.6
On this point Pandit Sukhlalji says that the purpose of Dharmananda Kosambi was to point out this thing in Cāturyama that the Buddha made the development of the tradition of Caturyamadharma of Parsva 29 in some form. He holds the view that the Buddha narrated the account of his practice of asceticism and religious conduct, prior to the time of his attainment of Buddhatva (enlightenment), which appears to be similar to the religious conduct31 of the Nirgranthas, 3 2
When the reference to the Nirgrantha Sravaka, Vappa Sakkya of Kapilavastu and some technical words (Paribhasika Sabda) 8 regarding conduct and knowledge of reality recorded in the Bauddha Pitaka, which are found in the Nirgrantha teachings only, are taken into consideration, then there does not remain any doubt to accept as such that the Buddha. at least for some time, accepted the religious tradition of Parsvanätha. The last book of Prof. Dharmananda Kosambi." Pārsvanatha ca cāturyama Dharma" (pp. 24, 26) indicates such belief.34
It seems from an account of the early ascetic life of the Buddha as given in the Mahasimhananda sutta that he also was first initiated in Caturya madharma of Pārsvanatha, for the description of his asceticism -ruksata (lukho), jugupsi (jeguccha), pravivikto (pavivitto) 3 5 etc. throws some light upon the four vows of Caturyamadharma.
