Ajatashatru
Encyclopedia
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He was the son of King Bimbisara
Bimbisara
Bimbisara was a King, and later, Emperor of the Magadha empire from 543 BC to his death and belonged to the Hariyanka dynasty.-Career:There are many accounts of Bimbisara in the Jain texts and the Buddhist Jatakas, since he was a contemporary of Mahavira and Gautama Buddha. He was the king of...
, the Great Monarch of Magadha. He was contemporary to Mahavira
Mahavira
Mahāvīra is the name most commonly used to refer to the Indian sage Vardhamāna who established what are today considered to be the central tenets of Jainism. According to Jain tradition, he was the 24th and the last Tirthankara. In Tamil, he is referred to as Arukaṉ or Arukadevan...
and Buddha
Buddha
In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...
. He took over the kingdom of Magadha from his father forcefully by imprisoning him. He fought a terrible war against the Vajjis/Lichhvis and conquered the once considered invincible democratic Vaishali Republic.
Birth
Ajatasatru is also known as Kunika. The ancient inscription in Mathura MuseumMathura Museum
Mathura museum is an archaeological museum in Mathura city of Uttar Pradesh state in India. The museum was founded by then collector of the Mathura district, Sir F.S Growse in 1874...
refers to him as Vaidehi putra Ajatasatru Kunika. The story of Ajatasatru is found in Buddhists Tripitaka
Tripiṭaka
' is a traditional term used by various Buddhist sects to describe their various canons of scriptures. As the name suggests, a traditionally contains three "baskets" of teachings: a , a and an .-The three categories:Tripitaka is the three main categories of texts that make up the...
s and Jain Agamas
Jain Agamas
Agamas are canonical texts of Jainism based on Mahavira’s teachings. Mahavira’s preaching were orally compiled by his disciples into various Sutras which were collectively called Jain canonical or Agamic literature. Traditionally these sutras were orally passed on from teachers to the disciples...
. The account of Ajatashatru's birth is more or less similar in both the traditions. According to Jaina tradition, Ajatasatru was born to king Bimbisara
Bimbisara
Bimbisara was a King, and later, Emperor of the Magadha empire from 543 BC to his death and belonged to the Hariyanka dynasty.-Career:There are many accounts of Bimbisara in the Jain texts and the Buddhist Jatakas, since he was a contemporary of Mahavira and Gautama Buddha. He was the king of...
and Queen Chelna; Buddhist tradition records Ajatasatru being born to King Bimbisara and queen Kosala Devi. It is worthwhile to note that both the queens were called "Vaidehi" in both the traditions. Thus Ajatasatru being called Vaidehi putra in the inscription does not clarify the mother's name.
According to "Nirayavalika Sutta" of Jaina Aagams, during her pregnancy Queen Chelna had the strong desire to eat fried flesh of her husband's (King Bimbisara) heart and drink liquor. Meanwhile the very intelligent Prince Abhayakumara (son of King Bimbisara and Queen Nanda) fried a wild fruit that seemed like heart and gave it to the queen. The queen ate it and latter felt ashamed for having such a demonic desire and she feared that the child might grow up and prove fatal for the family, thus after few months when the child was born, the queen had him thrown out of the palace. When the child was lying near the garbage dump, a cock bit his little finger. King Bimbisara learning about the child being thrown out, ran outside and picked up the child and put its bleeding little finger in his mouth and sucked it till it stopped bleeding and continued it for days till it was healed. As the little finger of the child was sore, he was nicknamed Kunika i.e., Sore Finger. But latter he was Named Ashokachandra.
In the Buddhists text Digha Nikaya Atthakatha, the above story is almost similar except that Queen Kosaladevi desired to drink blood from King Bimbisara's arm and the king obliged her and, later when the child was thrown near the garbage dump, due to an infection he got a boil on his little finger and the king sucked it and once while sucking it the boil got burst inside the king's mouth, but due to the affection for his child he did not spit the pus out, rather swallowed it.
Early life
The Young prince Ashokchandra was 7"feet tall, handsome, strong, long curly hair which touched his chest, very intelligent and learned in all 64 arts. At the age of 20 he was married to Princess Padmavati. Once King Bimbisara decided to give gifts to his children (those born of Queen Chelna) thus he gave a 18 fold Divine Necklace to Hallakumara and one Sechanaka (watering) White elephant (pachyderm)White elephant (pachyderm)
A white elephant is a rare kind of elephant, but not a distinct species. Although often depicted as snow white, their skin is normally a soft reddish-brown, turning a light pink when wet. They have fair eyelashes and toenails....
to Vihallakumara,which costed more than half of Magadha. But as the king wanted to surprise Ashokchandra by giving him the entire kingdom, he did not give anything to him on that day. But Ashokchandra failing to understand his father, thought that the king would even give the entire kingdom to Halla and Vihallakumaras thus he imprisoned his father in the prison of Rajgriha and enthroned himself as king of Magadha. The fear of Queen Chelna became true and thus she cursed him that for rest of his life and in history he will be known as Ajatasatru i.e.-one who is an enemy of his own clan from even before his birth.
According to Buddhist tradition, the aspiration of Ajatasatru was aflame at the provocation given by Devadatta
Devadatta
Devadatta was by tradition a Buddhist monk, cousin and brother-in-law of Gautama Siddārtha, the Śākyamuni Buddha, and brother of Ānanda, a principal student of the Buddha...
. Devadatta was looking for ways and means of taking revenge on the Buddha, and seeing in the prince a very desirable weapon, he exerted all his strength to win him to his side. Ajatasatru was greatly impressed by Devadatta's powers of iddhi and became his devoted follower. He built for him a monastery at Gayāsīsa and waited upon him morning and evening carrying food for him, sometimes as much as five hundred cartloads in five hundred cooking pans.Devadatta incited him to seize the throne, killing his father if necessary. When Bimbisara learnt of the prince's intentions he abdicated the throne. But Devadatta was not satisfied till Bimbisāra, who was one of the Buddha's foremost supporters, was killed. Ajatasatru thus on Devadatta's words put Bimbisara behind the bars.
Suicide/Murder of Bimbisara
According to the Jaina tradition. Once Ajatasatru was eating his meal with his new born son in his lap, his son suddenly urinated, of which some of the drops fell in his plate but due to his affection for his child he did not change the plate but wiped the drops with his own patta(cloth on the shoulder) and continued to eat in the same plate. After eating a morsel he asked his mother Chelna who was sitting in the same dining room, whether she has ever seen any father loving and caring as much as he is, to which his mother narrated the story of affection of King Bimbisara for him. This touched Ajatasatru's heart and his affection for his father aroused. At once he picked up his axe and hurried to the prison to free his father by breaking all the iron chains by himself. But when Bimbisara saw him coming with axe in his hand he thought"so,he is coming to kill me.Its better that I end my life with my own hands."
At once he removed The Talaputa poison from his ring
closed his eyes and chanted "Kevli pannato Dhammam saranam pavajyami"(i seek refuge in the dharma taught by the kevlins or omniscient)
and swallowed the poison and ended his life.
Ajatasatru repented a lot but was of no use... Ajatasatru then shifted his Palace to Champa and made it his capital as the previous palace reminded him of his atrocious mistake.
According to Buddhist tradition, Ajatasatru allowed none but only Kosala devi to meet Bimbisara in the smokey cell. Ajatasatru wanted to starve him to death as Devdatta had said "father cannot be killed by a weapon". Thus Kosala devi used to take small food packets to the cell, being caught by guards she started to take food hidden behind her hair, being caught again she started slipping in food by hiding it in her golden slippers again being caught she coated 4 layers of honey on her body which was licked by the king, being caught once again Ajatasatru prohibited Kosala devi to meet the king. When Ajatasatru saw that that even after that the king was not dying he ordered a barber to pierce the kings legs with knife pour salt, hot oil and fire made from khairawood. when this was done the king died.
Thus according to the Jaina tradition the king committed suicide while as per Buddhist tradition he was brutally murdered.
War and victory over Vaisali
According to Jaina Tradition, Once Queen Padmavati, principal consort of Ajatasatru was sitting in her balcony in the evening when she sawHalla and Vihallakumaras with their wives sitting on Sechanaka elephant and one of the wives wearing the 18 fold divine necklace. Immediately she heard one of the maid servants speaking from the garden below "Its Halla and Vihalla kumaras and not the king who enjoy the real pleasures of the kingdom" and she thought "whats the use of the kingdom if I do not have both the jewels in my possession?"
So, she shared this thoughts with Ajatasatru the same night and became excessively insistent in her demand. Ajatasatru at last agreed and sent a request to both his brothers to give the elephant and the necklace to him, to which both his brothers denied saying that these gifts were given by their dear father so why should they part from them?
Ajatasatru sent the request thrice but got the same reply all the three times, this annoyed him a lot and sent his men to arrest them. Meanwhile Halla and vihallakumaras availed a chance and escaped to their maternal grandfather Chetaka who was the king of the Great kingdom of Vaisali republic(Vajjis/Lichhvis). Ajatasatru sent notice thrice to Chetaka to surrender them but was denied by Chetaka.
This was enough for Ajatasatru, he called his half brothers, Kalakumaras (10 kalakumaras, those born to King Bimbisara and 10 Kali Queens Kali, Sukali, Mahakali,etc..) to merge their army with his. As it was well known to Ajatasatru that Vaisali republic has always been invincible in past and he alone would not be able to capture it. Each Kalkumara brought 3000 horses, 3000 elephants, 3000 chariots and 30000 infantrymen each. on the other hand Chetaka invited his own allies 9 Mallas, 9 Lichhvis and 18 kings of Kasi-Kosala to fight his grand son Ajatasatru. All these kings came with 3000 horses, 3000 elephants, 3000 chariots and 30000 infantrymen each. Thus all together there were 57000 elephants,57000 chariots,57000 horses, and 5,70,000 infantry men.
The war began,king Chetaka was a devout follower of Lord Mahavira
Mahavira
Mahāvīra is the name most commonly used to refer to the Indian sage Vardhamāna who established what are today considered to be the central tenets of Jainism. According to Jain tradition, he was the 24th and the last Tirthankara. In Tamil, he is referred to as Arukaṉ or Arukadevan...
and had a vow of not to shoot more than one arrow per day in a war. It was known to all that Chetakas aim was perfect and his arrows were infallible. His first arrow killed one Kalakumara, commander of Ajatasatru. On consecutive nine days the rest of the nine Kalkumaras were killed by Chetaka. Deeply sorrowed by the death of their son's the Kali queens got initiated as nuns in holy order of Lord Mahavira.
As Ajatasatru was moving towards defeat he practiced penances for three days and offered prayers to Sakrendra and Charmendra (Indra
Indra
' or is the King of the demi-gods or Devas and Lord of Heaven or Svargaloka in Hindu mythology. He is also the God of War, Storms, and Rainfall.Indra is one of the chief deities in the Rigveda...
of different havens)who then helped him in the war, they protected him from the infallible arrow of Chetaka. The war became very severe and by the divine influence of the Indras even the pebbles, straws, leaves hurled by Ajatasatru's men fell like rocks on the army of Chetaka. This war was thus named "Mahasilakantaka", more than lac died in this war. Next Indras granted Divine huge chariot with swinging mace or blades on each sides to Ajatasatru which was driven by Charmendra himself. The chariot moved freely in the battlefield chrushing lacs of soldiers. This war was named "Ratha-musala".
In this war Chetaka was Defeated. But Chetaka and others immediately took shelter inside city walls of vaisali and closed the Main gate.The walls around Vaisali were so strong that Ajatasatru was unable to break through it. Many days passed by Ajatasatru became furious and again prayed to Indra, But this time Indra refused to help him but told him that "exactly 10th day from the day Sramana Kulvalaka will be attracted to a prostitute you will conquer Vaisali".
Ajatasatru inquired about the Monk Kulvalaka and sent for the prostitute Magadhika disguised as a devout follower. The fallen women attracted the monk towards herself and finally monk gave up his monkhood and became ready to enter Vaisali disguised as Astrologer,and so happened with great difficulty, he did enter Vaisali and learned that the city was saved by a Chaitya (altar) dedicated to Munisuvrata
Munisuvrata
Munisuvrata Swami was the twentieth Jain Tirthankar of the present age . According to Jain beliefs, he was born around 1,184,980 BCE. He became a siddha, a liberated soul which has destroyed all of its karma. Munisuvrata was born to King Sumitra Raja and Queen Padmavati Rani at Mithila in the...
. Kulvalaka then started telling people that this altar is the reason why the city is suffering through a bad period. The people uprooted the altar from its very foundation. Kulvalaka gave a signal and Ajatasatru retreated as per prior arrangements and this was the last attack. Vaisali was conquered by Ajatasatru.
Halla and Vihallakumaras ran away and got initiated as monks in the holy order of Lord Mahavira. Chetaka Courted Sallekahna(fast unto death).
Ajatasatru not only conquered Vaisali but also Kasi-Kosala.
According to Buddhist Tradition, There was a diamond mine near a village on the river Ganga. There was an agreement between Ajatasatru and the Lichhavis/vajjis that they would have an equal share of the diamonds. But on the account of sheer lethargy, Ajatasatru failed to collect his own share, and the whole lot of diamonds was carried away by Lichhvis, this happened many times, and at last Ajatasatru got annoyed and thought:
"its is almost impossible to fight against the whole confederacy of Vaisali. I must uproot these powerful Vajjis and exterminate them". He sent his chief minister Vassakara to Lord Buddha
Buddha
In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...
to ask him the purpose of Vaisali being invincible, to which Lord Buddha Gave seven reasons which included Vajjis being punctual to the meetings, their disciplined behavior, their respect for elders, women, they do not marry their daughters forcefully, they give spiritual protection to the Arhats, and the main reason was the Chaityas (altar) inside the town.
Thus with the help of his chief minister Vassakara, Ajatasatru managed to bring Split among the Vajjis and also broke the chaityas inside. Ajatasatru used a scythed chariot with swinging mace and blades on both the sides and attacked the town and conquered it.
Kingdom
After conquering Vaisali, Kasi and kosalaKosala
Kosala was an ancient Indian region, corresponding roughly in area with the region of Awadh in present day Uttar Pradesh. According to the Buddhist text Anguttara Nikaya and the Jaina text, the Bhagavati Sutra, Kosala was one of the Solasa Mahajanapadas in 6th century BCE and its cultural and...
(Kaushala) Ajatasatru conquered 36 republican states surrounding his kingdom and firmly established the predominance of Magadha. Ajatasatru was Monarch of a huge kingdom which covered almost the modern India's Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
, Chandigarh
Chandigarh
Chandigarh is a union territory of India that serves as the capital of two states, Haryana and Punjab. The name Chandigarh translates as "The Fort of Chandi". The name is from an ancient temple called Chandi Mandir, devoted to the Hindu goddess Chandi, in the city...
, Haryana
Haryana
Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...
, Uttaranchal, Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh is a state in Northern India. It is spread over , and is bordered by the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir on the north, Punjab on the west and south-west, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on the south, Uttarakhand on the south-east and by the Tibet Autonomous Region on the east...
, Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
, One fourth of north Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....
, tip of Chattisgarh, bit of Jarkhand, west Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
and Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
.
Ajatasatru with the help of his two ministers Sunidh and Vassakara Built a fort near the banks of River Ganga to strengthen the defense of Magadha and named it Patli Grama(village) Later it got developed into a city, which soon became popular as Patliputra
Patliputra
Pāṭaliputra , modern-day Patna, was a city in ancient India, originally built by Ajatashatru in 490 BC as a small fort near the River Ganges, and later the capital of the ancient Mahājanapadas kingdom of Magadha....
. Which is now known as Patna
Patna
Paṭnā , is the capital of the Indian state of Bihar and the second largest city in Eastern India . Patna is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world...
, the capital of Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
.
According to Mahaparinirvana sutta, when Patliputra was being erected, by chance the Buddha came there and praised the city of Patliputra, and pointed three things which may prove fatal to the city i.e. Fire, water and mutual split among the people.
Family
As per Jaina tradition, according to "Nirayāvaliyā Suttā" Ajatasatru was born to King Bimbisara and Queen Chelna who was the daughter of Chetaka the king of Vaisali, who was brother of Queen Triśalá, mother of Mahavira.Ajatasatru had eight wives but Padmavati, Dharini and Subhadra were his principal consort, he also had a son named Udayabhadda or Udayabhadra.
As per Buddhist tradition, according to "Dīgha nikāya" Ajatasatru was born to King Bimbisara and Queen Kosala Devi who was the daughter of Maha-Kosala, the king of Kosala and sister of Prasenjit who latter succeeded on the throne. Ajatsatru had 500 wives but the principal consort was Vajira. The story so goes, the City of Kasi was given to Bimbisara as dowry by Maha-kosala. After the murder of Bimbisara, Prasenjit took the city back.This resulted in war between Ajatasatru and Prasenjit in which prasenjit was defeated first but was successful later. As Ajatasatru happened to be his nephew his life was spared and in peace treaty Prasenjit married his daughter "Vajira" with him. Ajatasatru latter had a son named Udayabhadda or Udayabhadra.
Death
The account of Ajatasatru's death recorded by historians is circa-461 BC. The account of his death differs widely between Jain and Buddhist traditions.According to Jaina text "Āvaśȳaka Chūrnī" Ajatasatru once went to meet Lord Mahavira
Ajatasatru asked- "Bhante! Where do Chakravartin
Chakravartin
Chakravartin , is a term used in Indian religions for an ideal universal ruler, who rules ethically and benevolently over the entire world. Such a ruler's reign is called sarvabhauma. It is a bahuvrīhi, literally meaning "whose wheels are moving", in the sense of "whose chariot is rolling...
s (world-Monarchs) go after their death?"
Mahavira Replied- "Chakravartin if dying while in office goes to seventh hell called Mahā-Tamahprabhā and if dying as a monk attains Nirvana
Nirvana
Nirvāṇa ; ) is a central concept in Indian religions. In sramanic thought, it is the state of being free from suffering. In Hindu philosophy, it is the union with the Supreme being through moksha...
."
Ajatasatru- "So will I Attain Nirvana or go to seventh hell?"
Mahavira- "Neither of them, you will go to the Sixth hell"
Ajatasatru- "Bhante, then am I not a Chakravartin?"
Mahavira- "No, you are not."
This made Ajatasatru anxious to become a world-Monarch, He created 12 artificial jewels and set out for the conquest of the six regions of the world. But when he reached the Timisra Caves he was stopped by a guardian Deva
Deva (Hinduism)
' is the Sanskrit word for god or deity, its related feminine term is devi. In modern Hinduism, it can be loosely interpreted as any benevolent supernatural beings. The devs in Hinduism, also called Suras, are often juxtaposed to the Asuras, their half brothers. Devs are also the maintainers of...
called Krutamāl who said
"Only a Chakravartin can pass through this cave, there can be not more then 12 Chakravartin in half cycle of a Kalchakra,
and already there have been 12."
On this Ajatasatru said arrogantly "Then count me as the thirteenth and let me go or else my mace is strong enough to reach you to Yama
Yama
Yama , also known as Yamarāja in India and Nepal, Shinje in Tibet, Yanluowang or simply Yan in China, Yeomla Daewang in South Korea and Enma Dai-Ō in Japan, is the lord of death, in Hinduism and then adopted into Buddhism and then further into Chinese mythology and Japanese mythology. First...
"
The Deva became engraged at Ajatsatru's arrogance and by his power he reduced him to ashes right on the spot. Ajatasatru was reborn in the sixth hell called Tamahprabhā"
According to Buddhists tradition, Ajatasatru was brutally mudured by his own son Udayabhadra who was greedy of his kingdom. Ajatasatru was reborn in the hell called "Lohakumbhiya".
Even if the account of Ajatasatru's death differ in both the traditions, both believe that After passing through many births Ajatasatru will be born as a wise prince, latter become a monk and attain Nirvana.
Jaina or Buddhist
Ajatasatru enjoys a respectable position in both Jaina and Buddhist traditions. Both claim him as a close follower, and both come forward with evidence in support of this claim. According to Buddhist tradition, The Samaññaphala SuttaSamaññaphala Sutta
The Samaññaphala Sutta is the second discourse of all 34 Digha Nikaya discourses. The title means, "The Fruit of Contemplative Life Discourse."...
deals with his first meeting with the Buddha. According to the same text, during this meeting, Ajatasatru took protection of the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha
Sangha
Sangha is a word in Pali or Sanskrit that can be translated roughly as "association" or "assembly," "company" or "community" with common goal, vision or purpose...
. This Sutta records his devotion towards the Dhamma, He erected Vast Stupa
Stupa
A stupa is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics, typically the remains of Buddha, used by Buddhists as a place of worship....
on the bones and ashes of the Buddha after the funeral, and also Ajatasatru being present in the first Buddhist council at Sattapanni (Saptparni) caves Rajgriha.
On the other hand Uvavai/Aupapātika sutta which is the first Upānga(see Jain Agamas
Jain Agamas
Agamas are canonical texts of Jainism based on Mahavira’s teachings. Mahavira’s preaching were orally compiled by his disciples into various Sutras which were collectively called Jain canonical or Agamic literature. Traditionally these sutras were orally passed on from teachers to the disciples...
) of the jainas throws light on the relation between Mahavira and Ajatasatru. It accounts that Ajatasatru held Mahavira in highest esteem. The same text also states that Ajatasatru had an officer to report about the daily routine of Mahavira to him. He was paid lavishly. The officer had a vast network and supporting field staff through whom he collected all the information about Mahavira and reported to the king. The uvavai Sutta has detailed and illuminating discussion on Mahavira's arrival at the city of Champa, the honour shown to him by Ajatasatru, the Sermon Given by Mahavira in Ardhamagadhi language, etc..
If the Samaññaphala Sutta and Uvavai Sutta are placed side by side, then the Uvavai Sutta will appear to be more profound in depth and penetration. The only line in the Samaññaphala Sutta that would give support to Ajatasatru's having become a Buddhist is: "From this day Bhagavān please accept me as thy follower, I seek your protection with folded hands."
In contrast the Uvavai has more detailed account of information: The officer in charge of Mahavira's routine, Ajatasatru coming down the throne expressing his feelings and obeisance with utterance of the word Namothhanam, his meeting with Mahavira and his concluding words "What to speak of the excelling thee, none other Sramana or Brahmana
Brahmana
The Brāhmaṇas are part of the Hindu śruti literature. They are commentaries on the four Vedas, detailing the proper performance of rituals....
could have given such a brilliant exposition of the Dhamma as thou hast done." also Ajatasatru being present in the first council under the guidance of "Sudharma swami" the successor of Mahavira to the spiritual throne.
Indologist Vincent Arthur Smith
Vincent Arthur Smith
Vincent Arthur Smith was born in 1843 in Dublin which was then part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. He was an Indologist, historian and art historian who worked in the Indian Civil Service and retired early to devote himself to his writing.His Oxford History of India, covering...
has written "Both traditions have claimed him as one of themselves. The Jaina claim appears to be well founded. Whereas Ajatasatru met Buddha only once, he had several meetings with Mahavira. Buddha spent only 5 monsoon camps in Rajgriha and none in Champa, Ajatasatru's capital, while Mahavira spent 14 monsoon camps in Rajgriha and 3 in Champa. "
According to another Indologist Radha Kumud Mookerjee, "So long as both Mahavira and Buddha were alive, Ajatasatru was a follower of Mahavira. Other evidences that suggests that he could not have been a Buddhist, viz.,His intimacy with Devadatta
Devadatta
Devadatta was by tradition a Buddhist monk, cousin and brother-in-law of Gautama Siddārtha, the Śākyamuni Buddha, and brother of Ānanda, a principal student of the Buddha...
, Who happened to be enemy of the Buddha.".
Aacharya Sri Nagrajji D.Litt. in Comparative studies of Jainism and Buddhism says "For the victory from Vajjis, Ajatasatru sent his minister Vassakara to the Buddha. This was a conspiracy to know the secrets of Vajjis from the Buddha. If he would be a true follower of the Buddha, how would he have played such a mean trick with him?" He further says "It is written in Atthakatha
Atthakatha
Atthakatha refers to Pali-language Theravadin Buddhist commentaries to the canonical Theravadin Tipitaka. These commentaries give the traditional interpretations of the scriptures. The major commentaries were based on earlier ones, now lost, in Old Sinhalese, which were written down at the same...
s that Ajatasatru butchered 500 Nirgrantha
Nirgrantha
A Nirgrantha is a term that specifically refers to Jains in religious and philosophical works from the Indian religions. Mahavira , the most recent Jain tirthankara and a contemporary of Gautama Buddha, is referred to as the Nigaṇṭha Nātaputta in the Pāli Tipiṭaka.The Jain Agamas also contain...
Monks after murder of Moggallana, This seems to be no more than a fiction, as had it been true, the Jaina's wouldn't have held Ajatasatru with great respect."
Finally Thomas William Rhys Davids
Thomas William Rhys Davids
Thomas William Rhys Davids was a British scholar of the Pāli language and founder of the Pali Text Society.-Life:...
a pāli
Páli
- External links :* *...
and Buddhist scholar has written, " There is not a single proof in the Tripitakas stating that Ajatasatru ever became follower of the Buddha. So far as I have been able to understand, after he met Buddha once, he never again met the Buddha or any other monk of the Buddhist order, neither did he discuss about the religion with any of them; and nor did he make any financial donation to the Buddhist order in life-time of the Buddha"
He further says "Of course, this is much known that he sent a request of share of the bones and ashes of the Buddha; but his justification for this request was that " I am a kshatriya
Kshatriya
*For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...
and so was the Buddha" and then he erected an altar on the bones. Latter it is recorded that immediately after the Buddha's death, The Buddhist Council met, Ajatasatru had erected a huge conference hall near the entrance of Saptparni cave where the Buddhist Pitikas were compiled. But the older Buddhist texts are silent on this. Therefore, it is very much likely that even without courting the religion of Buddha, he had a great regard for this religion. In doing so, Ajatasatru was only following the great tradition of Kingship of India, according to which it was the sacred duty of a ruler to extend protection to all religions. But as far as the religion which Ajatasatru followed is concerned, it has to be Jaina by all evidence."
Thus by all the above evidence and comments of the Historians it is clear that Ajatasatru was a devout follower of Jaina religion preached by Mahavira.
Depictions in popular culture
- A fictionalized account of Ajatashatru - depicted as a physically gross and tyrannous figure - appears in Gore VidalGore VidalGore Vidal is an American author, playwright, essayist, screenwriter, and political activist. His third novel, The City and the Pillar , outraged mainstream critics as one of the first major American novels to feature unambiguous homosexuality...
's novel CreationCreation (novel)Creation is an epic historical fiction novel by Gore Vidal which was published in 1981. In 2002, he published a restored version, adding four chapters that a previous editor had cut...
.
- A movie about his life was released titled Ajatashatru. He also features as the protagonist in the film AmrapaliAmrapali (film)Amrapali is a 1966 historical Hindi film, directed by Lekh Tandon, starring Vyjayanthimala and Sunil Dutt as leads.It was based on the life of Amrapali , the nagarvadhu of Vaishali, the capital of the Licchavi republic in ancient India around 500 BC and Ajatashatru, the king of the Magadha empire,...
(1966), starring Sunil DuttSunil DuttSunil Dutt , born Sunil Balraj Dutt, was an Indian Hindi movie actor , producer, director and politician. He was the cabinet minister for Youth Affairs and Sports in the Manmohan Singh government...
and VyjayanthimalaVyjayanthimalaVyjayanthimala Bali is an Indian film actress, Bharathanatyam dancer, carnatic singer, dance choreographer, golfer and a Parliamentarian....
. - A book about his life was written titled Ajatashatru, by Subba Rao.
Further reading
- Ācharya Nagrajji D.Litt. "Agama and Tripitaka- A comparative study of Lord Mahavira and Lord Buddha" volume-1, History and Tradition, chapter 14 "Follower Kings" pg.355-377.(English version by Muni Mahendrakumarji) published by-Concept Publishing Company, New Delhi-110059.
- G.P.Singh,2004. "Early Indian Historical Tradition and Archaeology". D.K.Printworld(P)Ltd-New Delhi-110015; page164,165
- Jain Aagam 1st Upanga Uvavai Sutta Chapter Kunika