Sramana 2016 04

Author(s): Shreeprakash Pandey, Rahulkumar Singh, Omprakash Singh
Publisher: Parshvanath Vidhyashram Varanasi

Page 55

48 : $401, auf 67, 340 2, 37te-ca, 2016 But contrary to the above-mentioned fact one finds information in the Dighanikāya itself that Mahāvīra has attained Nirvāņa during Buddha's life-time. The reference from the Dīghanikāya' is as follows: “I heard this once that the Lord was residing in a palace built in the mango orchard of the sākyas known as Vedhaññāin Śākya (country). At that time Nigganțha Nātaputta (Tīrthankara Mahāvīra) had recently died at Pāvā. A rift was created among the Nirganthas after his death. They were divided into two groups and were fighting by using arrows of bitter words at one another - "you don't know this Dharmavinaya (=Dharma), I know it. How can you know this Dharma-vinaya? You are wrong in ascertaining, (your understanding is wrong), I am rightly ascertained. My understanding is correct. My words are meaningful and yours are meaningless. The things you should have told first you told in topsy-turvy. You presented your theory and withdrew, you try to save yourself from this allegation and if you have power, try to save yourself from this allegation and if you have power, try to resolve it as if a war (slaughtering) was going on among the Nigganthas.” The house-holder disciples of the Niggantha Nātaputta, wearing white dresses, also were getting indifferent, distressed and alienated from the Dharma of Nigandu which was not expressed properly (dūrakhyāta), not property investigated (duspravedita), unable to redeem (anairyāika), unable to give peace (ana-upaśamaSamvartanika), not verified by any enlightened (a-Samyaksambuddh-pravedita) without foundation = a different stüpa and without a shelter."
Thus, we see that in the Tripitaka literature, on the one hand Mahāvīra has been described as middle-aged, on the other hand, there is information about the death of Mahāvīra during the life-time of Buddha. Since, according to the sources based on Jaina literature, Mahāvīra died at the age of 72, it is certain that both the facts cannot be true at the same time. Muni Kalyana Vijayaji" has called the