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brought in again in this Chapter. Dr. Hermann Jacobi has, in his Introduction to the Jaina sutras, made a review of the references to Mahavira and the Niganthas as they have figured in the Tripitakas. Such references are 11 in number. In Jacobi's view, that was the total number of references in the Pali literature printed upto his time. In the present Chapter, more references have been added raising total to 51. Some of these additional references might not have been extent in Jacobi's time, but there were others which clearly escaped his notice. In the case of one text at least, while he has noticed some references, he has clearly missed a few others. Also the article by Dr. MalaIsékhara entitled "Nigantha Nātaputta" is not comprehensive in this regardl.
In the present Chapter, especial care has been taken to see that not a single account about Nigantha Nataputta and his order in the Tripita kas may escape attention. The Atthakathās and lesser texts have not been neglected, so that the present Chapter gives a complete view of the Niganthas and Nigantha Nātaputta as they have appeared in the entire Buddhist literature and may be taken to be the most authentic. It is expected that it will be immensely valuable to the interested readers.
The discussion is a compact whole. But for the sake of convenience, it has been placed under three heads: viz., episodes (13), events (8) and references (30), Separate comments have been added in each case,
EPISODES
1 - Siha Senāpati
Simha Senapati happened to be the general of the Licchavis. He was a lay follower of Mahā vira. Once when Mahavira and Buddha were encamped at different parks in the city of Vaisali, Simha wanted to pay Buddha a visit, but Nataputta tried to dissuade him from it, because the Niganthas held Kriyāvāda, while Buddha taught Akriyavāda. Simha tried to obtain the permission twice, and the third time he decided to go without permission. He came to Buddha, bowed and took a seat. Said he, "Bhante ! I have
1. Dictionary of Pali Proper Names, Vol. II, pp. 61-65.
| SR No. | 022804 |
| Book Title | Agama And Tripitaka Comparative Study |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Nagaraj Muni |
| Publisher | Today and Tomorrows Printers and Publishers |
| Publication Year | 1986 |
| Total Pages | 804 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 19 MB |