Agama And Tripitaka Comparative Study

SR No.: 022804
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

Page 99

CHAPTER IV
CHRONOLOGY
Introduction
Man is inquisitive by nature. Inquisitiveness adds to his knowledge that increases curiosity. There is an unending chain of knowledge and curiosity wherein lies the exhuberance of sublime bliss, rightly regarded as summum bonum of all life of worship, devotion, renunciation and penance. In this cycle of knowledge and curiosity lies the boundless joy of life. It is these two that lead unfailingly to divine citadel of truth or supreme abode of bliss (1). When history initially peeped into the socio-philosophical exploits of both Mahavira and Buddha, the two stalwarts were misconstrued as identi cal by certain critics of Indian Philosophy and Indology Still others had a miserable downfall when they ventured to establish an identity of Buddha with Gautam Swami, the chief disciple of Mahavira (2). But a little analysis conf irmed very soon that Mahavira and Buddha, though belonging to the same generation and country, were two distinct personalities, the former having lived on this earth for 72 years (3) and latter for 80 years (4).
This analytical approach propelled the masses to pose a basic query: How long did Mahavira and Buddha live as contemporaries and and who was 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 findings arrived at are not indisputable. The various accounts 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.