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Mahāvīra and Buddha
very soon that Mahāvīra and Buddha, though belonging to the same generation and country, were two distinct personalities, the former having lived on this earth for 72 years' and latter for 80 years.
Next, curiosity led the people to ask the question : How long did Mahāvīra and Buddha live as contemporaries and who was the older of the two ? This question has drawn the attention of many a thinker and till now numerous efforts have been made to solve it. A good deal of new light has been thrown on it, but the conclusions reached are not indisputable. The various events described in the Jain Agamas, the Buddhist Tripitakas and the historical works, which appear to be inconsistent with one another have led the scholars to diverse conclusions. The classification of the efforts made so far, their critical examination and a humble effort to push the subject to an indubitable stage on the basis of independent thinking, form the subject matter of the present critique (this essay).
1. Digha Nikäya, Mahāparinirvāņa Sutta, 2-3-16. 2. Kalpa Sutra, 147.
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