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Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1Keéaka, Srevika, and Konika, the 1 N&taputta in Pali and Prakrit. The Buddhists call him Nigantha NAtaputta, i.e. Gaatriputra the Nirgrantha or Gaina monk. ® This period of his life is the subject of a sort of ballad incorporated in the Af4ranga Sotra (I, 8). Xvi GAINA SOTRAS. kings of Videha, Magadha, and Anga. In the towns which lay in these parts he spent almost all the rainy seasons during his spiritual career}, though he extended his travels as far west and north as Sravastf and the foot of the Himalaya. The names of his. chief disciples, the eleven Gamadharas or apostles of the Gainas, as detailed in the Kalpa Sdtra (List of Sthaviras, §1), are given without any variation by both divisions of the church, the Svetambaras and Digambaras. Of the details of Mahavira’s life, mentioned in the canonical books, his rivalry with, and victory over Gosdla, the son of Makkhali, and lastly, the place of his death, the small town Papa, deserve to be noticed. Nor are we by any means forced to rely on the tradition of the Gainas only, since for some particulars we have the testimony of the Buddhists also, in whose writings Mahavira is mentioned under his well-known name Nataputta, as the head of the Nigaztkas or Gaina monks and a rival of Buddha. They only misstated his Gotra as that of Agnivaisyayana; in this particular they confounded him with his chief apostle Sudharman, the only one of all the apostles who survived him and took the lead in the church after his teacher’s death. Mahavira being a contemporary of Buddha, they both had the same contemporaries, viz. Bimbisara and his sons, Abhayakuméra and Agatasatru, the Likkfavis and Mallas, Gosdla Makkhaliputra, whom we accordingly meet with in the sacred books of either sect. From the Buddhist Pitakas it appears, as we have seen above, that Mahivira’s followers were very numerous in Vaisali, a fact that is in perfect accordance with what the Gainas relate about his birth in the vicinity of that town, and which at the same time well agrees with his connection with the chief magistrate of the place. In addition to this, some tenets of the Niganthas, e.g. the Kiriyavada and the belief that water is inhabited by souls, are mentioned in the sacred books of the Buddhists, in perfect accordance with 1 See Kalpa Sfttra, Lives of the Ginas, § 122; Kampa, 3; Vaisalf, 12; Mithila, 6; Ragagriha, 14; Bhadrika, a; Alabhika,1; Pasitabhdmi,1; Sravastt, 1; Papa, 1. All these towns, with the exception of PasitabhQmi, Sravasti, and perhaps Alabhika, lay within the limits of the three kingdoms mentioned in the text. INTRODUCTION. XVii the Gaina creed. Lastly, the Buddhists are correct in assuming the town Papa as the scene of Nataputta’s death.
2All these towns, with the exception of PasitabhQmi, Sravasti, and perhaps Alabhika, lay within the limits of the three kingdoms mentioned in the text. INTRODUCTION. XVii the Gaina creed. Lastly, the Buddhists are correct in assuming the town Papa as the scene of Nataputta’s death. Comparing this outline of Mahavira’s life with that of Buddha’s, we can detect little or nothing in the former which can be suspected as having been formed after the latter by tradition. The general resemblance between the lives of both is due to their being lives of ascetics, which from the nature of the things must present some uniformity, which certainly will appear greater to the mind of a European historian of our times than to that of an ancient Hindu. Some names of Mahavira’s relations are similar to those of Buddha’s: the former’s wife was Yasodé, the latter's Yasodhara ; the former’s elder brother was Nandivardhana, the latter’s step-brother Nanda; Buddha’s name as a prince was Siddhartha, which was the name of Mahavira’s father. But if the similarity of these names proves anything, it proves no more than that names of this description were much used then among the Kshatriyas, as surely they were at all times?. Nor is it to be wondered at that two Kshatriyas should have founded sects in opposition, or at least in disregard to the authority of the Brahmans. For, as I shall try to prove in the sequel, the Kshatriyas were the most likely of all to become what the Brahmans would call ‘untrue ascetics.’ We shall now put side by side the principal events of Buddha’s and Mahdavira’s lives, in order to demonstrate their difference. Buddha was born in Kapilavastu, Mahavira in a village near Vaisdli; Buddha’s mother died after his birth, Mahavira’s parents lived to see him a grown-up man; Buddha turned ascetic during the lifetime and against the will of his father, Mahavira did so after the death of his parents and with the consent of those in power; Buddha led a life of austerities for six years, Mahavira for twelve ; Buddha thought these years wasted time, and that all his penances were useless for attaining his end, Mahavira was convinced of the necessity of his 1 See Petersburg Dictionary, ss.vv. [22] b XViil GAINA SOTRAS. penances!, and persevered in some of them even after becoming a Tirthakara. Amongst Buddha’s opponents Goséla Makkhaliputra is by no means so prominent as amongst MahAvira’s, nor among the former do we meet GamAli, who caused the first schism in the Gaina church. All the disciples of Buddha bear other names than those of Mah4vira. To finish this enumeration of differences, Buddha died in Kusinagara, whereas Mahavira died in Pap4, avowedly before the former.
3All the disciples of Buddha bear other names than those of Mah4vira. To finish this enumeration of differences, Buddha died in Kusinagara, whereas Mahavira died in Pap4, avowedly before the former. I have dwelt so long on the subject of MahAvira’s life in order to make the reader acquainted with facts which must decide the question whether the origin of Gainism was independent of Buddhism or not. Though most scholars do not go the length of denying that Mahavira and Buddha were different persons, yet some will not admit that this decides the question at issue. Professor Weber, in his learned treatise on the literature of the Gainas?, says that he still regards ‘the Gainas merely as one of the oldest sects of Buddhism. According to my opinion,’ he writes, ‘this is not precluded by the tradition about the origin of its founder having partly made use of another person than Buddha SAkyamuni; nay, even of one whose name is frequently mentioned in Buddhist legends as one of Buddha’s contemporary opponents. This rather suggests to me that the Gainas intentionally disowned Buddha, being driven to this extremity by the animosity of sect. The number and importance of coincidences in the tradition of either sect regarding their founders is, on the whole, overwhelming.’ Professor Weber’s last argument, the very one on which he seems to base his theory, has, according to my opinion, been fully refuted by our precedinginquiry. This theory, in itself, would require the strongest proof before we could admit itas even probable. Generally, heterodox sects claim to be the most authentic and correct interpreters of the words and } These twelve years of penance were indeed always thought essential for obtaining perfection, and every ascetic who endeavours to quit this life with the best claims to enter one of the highest heavens, or even Nirvana, has to undergo a similar course of preparatory penance, which lasts twelve years. 2 Indische Studien, XVI, 210. INTRODUCTION. xix
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1Keéaka, Srevika, and Konika, the 1 N&taputta in Pali and Prakrit. The Buddhists call him Nigantha NAtaputta, i.e. Gaatriputra the Nirgrantha or Gaina monk. ® This period of his life is the subject of a sort of ballad incorporated in the Af4ranga Sotra (I, 8). Xvi GAINA SOTRAS. kings of Videha, Magadha, and Anga. In the towns which lay in these parts he spent almost all the rainy seasons during his spiritual career}, though he extended his travels as far west and north as Sravastf and the foot of the Himalaya. The names of his. chief disciples, the eleven Gamadharas or apostles of the Gainas, as detailed in the Kalpa Sdtra (List of Sthaviras, §1), are given without any variation by both divisions of the church, the Svetambaras and Digambaras. Of the details of Mahavira’s life, mentioned in the canonical books, his rivalry with, and victory over Gosdla, the son of Makkhali, and lastly, the place of his death, the small town Papa, deserve to be noticed. Nor are we by any means forced to rely on the tradition of the Gainas only, since for some particulars we have the testimony of the Buddhists also, in whose writings Mahavira is mentioned under his well-known name Nataputta, as the head of the Nigaztkas or Gaina monks and a rival of Buddha. They only misstated his Gotra as that of Agnivaisyayana; in this particular they confounded him with his chief apostle Sudharman, the only one of all the apostles who survived him and took the lead in the church after his teacher’s death. Mahavira being a contemporary of Buddha, they both had the same contemporaries, viz. Bimbisara and his sons, Abhayakuméra and Agatasatru, the Likkfavis and Mallas, Gosdla Makkhaliputra, whom we accordingly meet with in the sacred books of either sect. From the Buddhist Pitakas it appears, as we have seen above, that Mahivira’s followers were very numerous in Vaisali, a fact that is in perfect accordance with what the Gainas relate about his birth in the vicinity of that town, and which at the same time well agrees with his connection with the chief magistrate of the place. In addition to this, some tenets of the Niganthas, e.g. the Kiriyavada and the belief that water is inhabited by souls, are mentioned in the sacred books of the Buddhists, in perfect accordance with 1 See Kalpa Sfttra, Lives of the Ginas, § 122; Kampa, 3; Vaisalf, 12; Mithila, 6; Ragagriha, 14; Bhadrika, a; Alabhika,1; Pasitabhdmi,1; Sravastt, 1; Papa, 1. All these towns, with the exception of PasitabhQmi, Sravasti, and perhaps Alabhika, lay within the limits of the three kingdoms mentioned in the text. INTRODUCTION. XVii the Gaina creed. Lastly, the Buddhists are correct in assuming the town Papa as the scene of Nataputta’s death.
2All these towns, with the exception of PasitabhQmi, Sravasti, and perhaps Alabhika, lay within the limits of the three kingdoms mentioned in the text. INTRODUCTION. XVii the Gaina creed. Lastly, the Buddhists are correct in assuming the town Papa as the scene of Nataputta’s death. Comparing this outline of Mahavira’s life with that of Buddha’s, we can detect little or nothing in the former which can be suspected as having been formed after the latter by tradition. The general resemblance between the lives of both is due to their being lives of ascetics, which from the nature of the things must present some uniformity, which certainly will appear greater to the mind of a European historian of our times than to that of an ancient Hindu. Some names of Mahavira’s relations are similar to those of Buddha’s: the former’s wife was Yasodé, the latter's Yasodhara ; the former’s elder brother was Nandivardhana, the latter’s step-brother Nanda; Buddha’s name as a prince was Siddhartha, which was the name of Mahavira’s father. But if the similarity of these names proves anything, it proves no more than that names of this description were much used then among the Kshatriyas, as surely they were at all times?. Nor is it to be wondered at that two Kshatriyas should have founded sects in opposition, or at least in disregard to the authority of the Brahmans. For, as I shall try to prove in the sequel, the Kshatriyas were the most likely of all to become what the Brahmans would call ‘untrue ascetics.’ We shall now put side by side the principal events of Buddha’s and Mahdavira’s lives, in order to demonstrate their difference. Buddha was born in Kapilavastu, Mahavira in a village near Vaisdli; Buddha’s mother died after his birth, Mahavira’s parents lived to see him a grown-up man; Buddha turned ascetic during the lifetime and against the will of his father, Mahavira did so after the death of his parents and with the consent of those in power; Buddha led a life of austerities for six years, Mahavira for twelve ; Buddha thought these years wasted time, and that all his penances were useless for attaining his end, Mahavira was convinced of the necessity of his 1 See Petersburg Dictionary, ss.vv. [22] b XViil GAINA SOTRAS. penances!, and persevered in some of them even after becoming a Tirthakara. Amongst Buddha’s opponents Goséla Makkhaliputra is by no means so prominent as amongst MahAvira’s, nor among the former do we meet GamAli, who caused the first schism in the Gaina church. All the disciples of Buddha bear other names than those of Mah4vira. To finish this enumeration of differences, Buddha died in Kusinagara, whereas Mahavira died in Pap4, avowedly before the former.
3All the disciples of Buddha bear other names than those of Mah4vira. To finish this enumeration of differences, Buddha died in Kusinagara, whereas Mahavira died in Pap4, avowedly before the former. I have dwelt so long on the subject of MahAvira’s life in order to make the reader acquainted with facts which must decide the question whether the origin of Gainism was independent of Buddhism or not. Though most scholars do not go the length of denying that Mahavira and Buddha were different persons, yet some will not admit that this decides the question at issue. Professor Weber, in his learned treatise on the literature of the Gainas?, says that he still regards ‘the Gainas merely as one of the oldest sects of Buddhism. According to my opinion,’ he writes, ‘this is not precluded by the tradition about the origin of its founder having partly made use of another person than Buddha SAkyamuni; nay, even of one whose name is frequently mentioned in Buddhist legends as one of Buddha’s contemporary opponents. This rather suggests to me that the Gainas intentionally disowned Buddha, being driven to this extremity by the animosity of sect. The number and importance of coincidences in the tradition of either sect regarding their founders is, on the whole, overwhelming.’ Professor Weber’s last argument, the very one on which he seems to base his theory, has, according to my opinion, been fully refuted by our precedinginquiry. This theory, in itself, would require the strongest proof before we could admit itas even probable. Generally, heterodox sects claim to be the most authentic and correct interpreters of the words and } These twelve years of penance were indeed always thought essential for obtaining perfection, and every ascetic who endeavours to quit this life with the best claims to enter one of the highest heavens, or even Nirvana, has to undergo a similar course of preparatory penance, which lasts twelve years. 2 Indische Studien, XVI, 210. INTRODUCTION. xix
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
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