124 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. [N.S., XV, 
cient geography, the political divisions, the social and economic 
nditions of India at a period hitherto very imperfectly 
understood.” 
Besides Prof. Jacobi we must also mention Mrs. Rhys 
Davids as a writer, who has made a very serious attempt to 
scrutiny of critical research, inasniuch as they tell us in various 
ways that the fame of these teachers faded away before 
the rising glory and dazzling brilliance of Buddha’s career. For 
instance, in the Jataka,? these teachers are contrasted with 
Buddha Gautama as a filthy crow in comparison with the 
painted, well-trained and sweet-voiced peacock. 
Milinda Pafiho, (The Question of the king Milinda), which 
can be dated the second century of the Christian era, contains 
a spurious account of the six Titthiyas which leads us back 
to the Samajfifiaphala Sutta that might be taken as the most 
typical of genuine Buddhist fragments. Meagre as the account 
in the Sutta is, and as there is a great possibility of misconcep- 
tions on the part of the Buddhist writers about their opponents’ 
views, we must be careful not to come to a conclusion on the 
basis of the Samafifiaphala Sutta alone. That is to say, its 
evidence must be accepted with due care and we must see that 
it tallies with other passages contained in the Canon. Of the 
six teachers, Jaina Angas unfortunately only mention Makkhali 
Gosalaputta and Nigantha Nathaputta (identified with Maha- 
vira). But there are striking passages here and there embody- | 
ing the doctrines of the teachers though their names are not 
expressly mentioned. 
In the Samafifiaphala Sutta and other older Buddhist 
Suttas, the six teachers are spoken of in identical terms as ‘‘ the 
head of an order, of a following, the teacher of a school, well- 
known and of repute as a sophist, revered by the people, a 
man of experience who has long been a recluse, old, and well- 
stricken in years.” (The Dialogue of the Buddha, Vol II, p. 66). 
The Mahasakuladayi Sutta of the Majjhima Nikaya® 
i 
alludes to Magadha as seething with speculative fervour stirred 
1 Buddhist India (Rhys Davids), pp. 163-164. 
2 Jaétaka (Faiisboll), No. 339, Vol. III, pp. 126-128. 
3 p. 2, Vol. 11 (P.T.8). 
