Maha Kapphina
Encyclopedia
Maha Kapphina also called Maha Kapphina Thera, was an eminent Arahant from Uttarapatha
and is considered foremost among those who taught the monk
s. Maha Kapphina was his monastic name. He became disciple of Buddha and is one of the five hundred Arahants who will be born as future Buddha
s, according to the Buddhist beliefs. The reference to Kapphina is found in the Jatakas, Manorathapurani, the commentary on Dhammapada
, Visuddh magga, Samyutta Saratthappakasini Commentary, Simuutta Nikaya, Anguttara Nikaya
, Vinaya Pitaka, Theragāthā, Theragāthā Commentary etc., as well as in the Sanskrit
Avadanashatika.
, three hundred yojanas in extent. It was a frontier
kingdom, located near Himavanta or Himalaya and was ruled by his father on whose death, he became its ruler under the name Maha Kapphina—Kapphina or Kappina being probably his appellative rather than a given name. His chief queen Anoja was a princess
from Sagala of the Madra
kingdom.
Soon after ascending the throne, Kappina got attracted towards Buddhism
through the medium of traders from Savatthi (Sarasvati in eastern UP
) who had visited Kukkatavati and told him about of the appearance in the world of Buddha, the Law, and the Sangha. Immediately on hearing this news, King Maha Kapphina and his thousand courtiers and Queen Anoja
and her thousand ladies-in-waiting had given splendid gifts and set out to visit and see the Buddha in person. In this manner they crossed three rivers on dry foot: the Aravacchā, the Nilavāhana, and the Chandrabhaga on making Acts of Truth. The Buddha perceived them coming with his divine eye, and after he had eaten at Savatthi, went through the air to the banks of river Chandrabhaga (Chenab) and sat down under the great banyan
tree facing the landing stage of the river. Maha Kapphina and his men saw the Buddha and prostrated themselves before him. The Buddha taught them the Doctrine and they all retired from the world, became arahants and joined the Order. Maha Kapphina exclaims wherever he goes: "aho sukham!, aho sukham"!! (Oh happiness!, Oh happiness!!!). The monk
s conclude that Kapphina has in mind the happiness of ruling. The Buddha informs that Kapphina refers to the happiness of Nibhana.
literature. In Buddhist literature, he is stated to be king of Kukkatavati located beyond river Indus either in North-West Frontier Province
(NWFP) of Pakistan, in North-east Afghanistan
or in Kashmir
. But Medieval age Buddhist writer Śivasvāmin, the court poet of Avantivarman (855 AD - 883 AD), in his poetical composition (Avadanashatika) refers to Maha Kapphina as the king of Lilavati, the lord of Vindhya as well as king of Daksinatya etc. Since Śivasvāmin is a very belated author (9th c AD), the scholar community does not give much credence to his version of Maha Kapphina legend compared to that from the ancient Buddhist texts.
The internal evidence of Kapphina legend tends to locate Kukkatavati somewhere near Pukkhlavati or Mashkavati in NWFP. It is notable that several similar ending names such as Utpalavati, Hamsavati, Oghavati (Apaga), Pokkharavatī (Sanskrit
Pushkavati) and Pāṇinian Mashkavati (i.e. Massaga of Arrian
) are documented in the NWFP.
Divyavadana
attests a city called Utpalavati located in Uttarapatha. The ancient name of Sanskrit Pushkalavati, Pali Pokkharavati or Pushkaravati is said to have been Utpalavati and was located above the confluence of Swat and Kabul
river, modern Charasadda. The story of Rupavati (Rupavatyavadana) specifically equates this Utpalavati to the Pushkalavati (modern Charasaddha, north of Peshawar
). Thus, it has been conjectured that city of Kukkatavati may have been in NWFP of Pakistan or somewhere near Pushkalavati or Mashkavati (Massaga), or in north-east Afghanistan
, in the land of Ashvaka Kambojas
. The marriage of king Kapphina to Anoja, the princess of Madda (Madra
) kingdom also points to this direction.
Kipin or Kapin or Greek
Kophene. Kipin of Chinese is the same as Kophene of the Greek writings and the Kubha and/or Kapisa of the Sanskrit
literature. Pāṇini teaches that the name of the Kamboja king could be same as the name of his kingdom. It therefore looks quite probable that name Kapphina was not a proper name but an appellation of its ruler and likewise may be related to name Kipin, Kapin and Kophene which are the Chinese
and the Greek
versions of the Sanskrit Kubha (Kabul) and Kapisa respectively. Equivalence of Kabul
and Kapisa with Kamboja has also been accepted by scholar community.
Alexander Cunningham
writes: "Kipin is one of the most famous but also most puzzling terms of the Chinese geography of north-western India (now Pakistan). As a geographical term the word 'Kipin' is not to be found in Indian literature. We come acrorss King Maha Kapphina or Maha Kaphina, the hero of the many Buddhist legends. He is described as ruling in Kukutavati, a frontier region and this region is definitely localized in the extreme north-west of India (now Pakistan). According to Buddhist traditions, Kaphina was a Brahman
. He met the Buddha
during the latter's journey to the north-west. Kukatagiri, as mentioned by Pāṇini (V. 4. 147) seems to represent some low peaks of Hindukush in Afghanistan
. Thus, Kipin or Kukutawati was situated in Afghanistan near the borders of Pakistan. It is probably Huphina of Hiuen Tsang or Huppian which is Kophen (=the kingdom of Kabul). King Kapphina of the Buddhist legends was the king of this region".
King Maha Kapphina was, in all probability a powerful ruler whose kingdom besides Kabul (Kophene), probably also included parts of Gandhara
. Kipin described in the Hou Han-shu may represent the region NWFP (now in Pakistan) dominated in turn by the Greeks
, the Sakas, the Parthians and the Kushanas.
Maha Kapphina is said to have met Buddha after crossing three northern rivers i.e. river Aravacchā (probably Swat?), the Nīlavāhana and the Chandrabhaga. This shows that he must have come from north/north-west as river Chandrabhaga is identified with river Chenab and Nīlavāhana with river Indus (Nilab).
According to scholars like D. D. Kosambi, Kapphina was of a Kshatriya
varna but according to Alexander Cunningham, Kapphina was a of Brahman
varna. But these conflicting views are least problematic here since Kambojas in ancient times were given to both Kshatrya as well as Brahmanical pursuits (See: Kambojas
). Pali texts' legend of Maha Kapphina however, does not specify any where that Kapphina was a Brahmin or a Kshatriya. But internal evidence of Kapphina legend points to his belonging to the Kshatriya varna.
Maha Kapphina is described by Buddha as pale (or white) (? odata), thin and having a characteristic thin and prominent nose (tanukam tunganasikam). Thus, the personal features, especially the Aryan
nose also resemble that of a man from the North/north-west and therefore the Kambojas/Gandharas.
mentions sixteen great countries that flourished during Buddha's time of which only two i.e. the ‘Gandhara
–Kashmira’ and the ‘Kamboja
’ were located in Uttarapatha
. Culla-Niddesa adds the Kalinga
to the sixteen and substitutes Yona
for the Gandhāra thus showing that when Chulla-Niddesa was composed, Kamboja Mahajanapada in the Uttarapatha was more important than even the Gandhara and further indicates that Gandhara may have formed part of the Kamboja Mahajanapada at this time. In Buddha's time, Gandhāra and Kasmira formed one country since the two countries are always mentioned together in one expression as "Kasmīra-Gandhāra" in the Pali
texts. According to Gandhara Jataka, Kasmira was included in Gandhara. In Buddha's time, Pukkusāti, contemporary of the Buddha was the king of Gandhara i.e. 'Gandhara-Kasmira' . As he learnt about the appearance of Buddha, his Dharama and Sangha from his friend king Bimbisara
, Pukkusati immediately decided to become a Buddha follower, ordained himself as a monk
, renounced his kingdom and traveled all the way to Sāvatthi to see the Buddha. Pali texts refer to Maha Kapphina as a great king of the frontier kingdom of Kukkutavati, 300 Yojana in extent, (in Uttarapatha) and also make him contemporary of the Buddha and Pukkusati. Immediately on hearing of the appearance of Buddha and his Law and Sangha, king Maha Kapphina of Kukkatavati renounced the throne, set forth towards Savatthi to see the Buddha, and like king Pukkusati, he too became a Buddha follower and a monk. The above Buddhist evidence makes it quite clear that Pukkusati and Maha Kapphina were contemporary rulers, both belonged to the Uttarapatha, both abnegated the throne and both had become monks and Buddha followers soon after the appearance of Buddha's Law and Sangha. Since according to Pali textual evidence, Pukkusati was king of ‘Gandhara-Kasmira’, hence his contemporary king Maha Kapphina, said to be a great ruler of a frontier country (hence also from Uttarapatha), could not have been a king either of Gandhara or of Kasmira, as D. D. Kosambi speculates. This clearly means that Maha Kapphina could only have been a king of Kamboja alone (the only other Mahajanapada
or great country located in the Uttarapatha division). And being immediate neighbor to Gandhara, king Maha Kapphina had followed king Pukkusati or vice-versa and embraced the Buddhist faith.
(or Kashmir
). Scholars like Gauri Shankar and Michael Hahn as well as the authors of Proceedings and Transactions of the All-India Oriental Conference and of Indian Linguistics also connect Kipin of the Chinese records with Buddhist name Kapphina but identify Kipin with Kashmir. But it is generally accepted among the scholar community that the Chinese name Kipin is applied to Kapisa country which was a part of ancient Kamboja
(See: Kapisa Province
). Hence Kapphina and Kapin/Kipin must be related not to Kashmir
but to the Kapisa (Kafiristan
/Kohistan
) and to Kophene (Kabul) and therefore, to the Kamboja
. Since Ashvakas
of Mashkavati (Massaga) and Kunar valleys were merely a specialized branch (i.e. Ashva-Yuddha-Kushalah) of the more general ethnic term Kamboja, hence D. D.Kosambi's views also reinforce the conclusion that Maha Kaphina was probably a ruler of the Ashvaka country of the Kambojas which around the time of Buddha was only a provincial district of the bigger Kamboja Mahajanapada. It is also not very insignificant to note that there still exists among the modern Kamboj
a clan name known as Kukkar (< Kukkad/Kukkat) who claim to have come to Punjab from north-west across the Indus.
Uttarapatha
Ancient Buddhist and Hindu texts use Uttarapatha as the name of the northern part of Jambudvipa, one of the "continents" in Hindu mythology.The name is derived from the Sanskrit terms uttara, for north, and patha, for road...
and is considered foremost among those who taught the monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
s. Maha Kapphina was his monastic name. He became disciple of Buddha and is one of the five hundred Arahants who will be born as future 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...
s, according to the Buddhist beliefs. The reference to Kapphina is found in the Jatakas, Manorathapurani, the commentary on Dhammapada
Dhammapada
The Dhammapada is a versified Buddhist scripture traditionally ascribed to the Buddha himself. It is one of the best-known texts from the Theravada canon....
, Visuddh magga, Samyutta Saratthappakasini Commentary, Simuutta Nikaya, Anguttara Nikaya
Anguttara Nikaya
The Anguttara Nikaya is a Buddhist scripture, the fourth of the five nikayas, or collections, in the Sutta Pitaka, which is one of the "three baskets" that comprise the Pali Tipitaka of Theravada Buddhism...
, Vinaya Pitaka, Theragāthā, Theragāthā Commentary etc., as well as in the Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
Avadanashatika.
Biography
Kapphina was born in a city called Kukkata (Kukkutavati according to some accounts) in a kingdomMonarchy
A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...
, three hundred yojanas in extent. It was a frontier
Frontier
A frontier is a political and geographical term referring to areas near or beyond a boundary. 'Frontier' was absorbed into English from French in the 15th century, with the meaning "borderland"--the region of a country that fronts on another country .The use of "frontier" to mean "a region at the...
kingdom, located near Himavanta or Himalaya and was ruled by his father on whose death, he became its ruler under the name Maha Kapphina—Kapphina or Kappina being probably his appellative rather than a given name. His chief queen Anoja was a princess
Princess
Princess is the feminine form of prince . Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or his daughters....
from Sagala of the Madra
Madra
Madra, Mada or Madraka is the name of an ancient region and its inhabitants, located in the north-west division of the ancient Indian sub-continent.-Uttaramadra division:...
kingdom.
Soon after ascending the throne, Kappina got attracted towards Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
through the medium of traders from Savatthi (Sarasvati in eastern UP
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...
) who had visited Kukkatavati and told him about of the appearance in the world of Buddha, the Law, and the Sangha. Immediately on hearing this news, King Maha Kapphina and his thousand courtiers and Queen Anoja
Queen Anoja
Queen Anojā was the Chief queen of king Mahākappina, before he entered the Order. She had been his wife in former births as well and had helped him in his good works. In this age she was of equal birth with Mahākappina and became his chief consort...
and her thousand ladies-in-waiting had given splendid gifts and set out to visit and see the Buddha in person. In this manner they crossed three rivers on dry foot: the Aravacchā, the Nilavāhana, and the Chandrabhaga on making Acts of Truth. The Buddha perceived them coming with his divine eye, and after he had eaten at Savatthi, went through the air to the banks of river Chandrabhaga (Chenab) and sat down under the great banyan
Banyan
A banyan is a fig that starts its life as an epiphyte when its seeds germinate in the cracks and crevices on a host tree...
tree facing the landing stage of the river. Maha Kapphina and his men saw the Buddha and prostrated themselves before him. The Buddha taught them the Doctrine and they all retired from the world, became arahants and joined the Order. Maha Kapphina exclaims wherever he goes: "aho sukham!, aho sukham"!! (Oh happiness!, Oh happiness!!!). The monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
s conclude that Kapphina has in mind the happiness of ruling. The Buddha informs that Kapphina refers to the happiness of Nibhana.
Country of origin
Nothing definite is known about Maha Kapphina. He is mentioned both in the Buddhist as well as in SanskritSanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
literature. In Buddhist literature, he is stated to be king of Kukkatavati located beyond river Indus either in North-West Frontier Province
North-West Frontier Province
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province and various other names, is one of the four provinces of Pakistan, located in the north-west of the country...
(NWFP) of Pakistan, in North-east Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
or in Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
. But Medieval age Buddhist writer Śivasvāmin, the court poet of Avantivarman (855 AD - 883 AD), in his poetical composition (Avadanashatika) refers to Maha Kapphina as the king of Lilavati, the lord of Vindhya as well as king of Daksinatya etc. Since Śivasvāmin is a very belated author (9th c AD), the scholar community does not give much credence to his version of Maha Kapphina legend compared to that from the ancient Buddhist texts.
The internal evidence of Kapphina legend tends to locate Kukkatavati somewhere near Pukkhlavati or Mashkavati in NWFP. It is notable that several similar ending names such as Utpalavati, Hamsavati, Oghavati (Apaga), Pokkharavatī (Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
Pushkavati) and Pāṇinian Mashkavati (i.e. Massaga of Arrian
Arrian
Lucius Flavius Arrianus 'Xenophon , known in English as Arrian , and Arrian of Nicomedia, was a Roman historian, public servant, a military commander and a philosopher of the 2nd-century Roman period...
) are documented in the NWFP.
Divyavadana
Divyavadana
The Divyāvadāna, or Divine Stories, is an anthology of Buddhist tales, many originating in the Mūlasarvāstivāda vinaya texts. The stories themselves are therefore quite ancient and may be among the first Buddhist texts ever committed to writing, but this particular collection of them is not...
attests a city called Utpalavati located in Uttarapatha. The ancient name of Sanskrit Pushkalavati, Pali Pokkharavati or Pushkaravati is said to have been Utpalavati and was located above the confluence of Swat and Kabul
Kabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
river, modern Charasadda. The story of Rupavati (Rupavatyavadana) specifically equates this Utpalavati to the Pushkalavati (modern Charasaddha, north of Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
). Thus, it has been conjectured that city of Kukkatavati may have been in NWFP of Pakistan or somewhere near Pushkalavati or Mashkavati (Massaga), or in north-east Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, in the land of Ashvaka Kambojas
Kambojas
The Kambojas were a kshatriya tribe of Iron Age India, frequently mentioned in Sanskrit and Pali literature.They were an Indo-Iranian tribe situated at the boundary of the Indo-Aryans and the Iranians, and appear to have moved from the Iranian into the Indo-Aryan sphere over time.The Kambojas...
. The marriage of king Kapphina to Anoja, the princess of Madda (Madra
Madra
Madra, Mada or Madraka is the name of an ancient region and its inhabitants, located in the north-west division of the ancient Indian sub-continent.-Uttaramadra division:...
) kingdom also points to this direction.
Kapphina related to Kapin/Kipin/Kophene (Kabul/Kapisa or Kamboja)
It has been suggested that the very name Kapphina or Kappina may be related to ChineseChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
Kipin or Kapin or Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
Kophene. Kipin of Chinese is the same as Kophene of the Greek writings and the Kubha and/or Kapisa of the Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
literature. Pāṇini teaches that the name of the Kamboja king could be same as the name of his kingdom. It therefore looks quite probable that name Kapphina was not a proper name but an appellation of its ruler and likewise may be related to name Kipin, Kapin and Kophene which are the Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
versions of the Sanskrit Kubha (Kabul) and Kapisa respectively. Equivalence of Kabul
Kabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
and Kapisa with Kamboja has also been accepted by scholar community.
Alexander Cunningham
Alexander Cunningham
Sir Alexander Cunningham KCIE CSI was a British archaeologist and army engineer, known as the father of the Archaeological Survey of India...
writes: "Kipin is one of the most famous but also most puzzling terms of the Chinese geography of north-western India (now Pakistan). As a geographical term the word 'Kipin' is not to be found in Indian literature. We come acrorss King Maha Kapphina or Maha Kaphina, the hero of the many Buddhist legends. He is described as ruling in Kukutavati, a frontier region and this region is definitely localized in the extreme north-west of India (now Pakistan). According to Buddhist traditions, Kaphina was a Brahman
Brahman
In Hinduism, Brahman is the one supreme, universal Spirit that is the origin and support of the phenomenal universe. Brahman is sometimes referred to as the Absolute or Godhead which is the Divine Ground of all being...
. He met the 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...
during the latter's journey to the north-west. Kukatagiri, as mentioned by Pāṇini (V. 4. 147) seems to represent some low peaks of Hindukush in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. Thus, Kipin or Kukutawati was situated in Afghanistan near the borders of Pakistan. It is probably Huphina of Hiuen Tsang or Huppian which is Kophen (=the kingdom of Kabul). King Kapphina of the Buddhist legends was the king of this region".
King Maha Kapphina was, in all probability a powerful ruler whose kingdom besides Kabul (Kophene), probably also included parts of Gandhara
Gandhara
Gandhāra , is the name of an ancient kingdom , located in northern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan. Gandhara was located mainly in the vale of Peshawar, the Potohar plateau and on the Kabul River...
. Kipin described in the Hou Han-shu may represent the region NWFP (now in Pakistan) dominated in turn by the Greeks
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
, the Sakas, the Parthians and the Kushanas.
Maha Kapphina is said to have met Buddha after crossing three northern rivers i.e. river Aravacchā (probably Swat?), the Nīlavāhana and the Chandrabhaga. This shows that he must have come from north/north-west as river Chandrabhaga is identified with river Chenab and Nīlavāhana with river Indus (Nilab).
According to scholars like D. D. Kosambi, Kapphina was of 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...
varna but according to Alexander Cunningham, Kapphina was a of Brahman
Brahman
In Hinduism, Brahman is the one supreme, universal Spirit that is the origin and support of the phenomenal universe. Brahman is sometimes referred to as the Absolute or Godhead which is the Divine Ground of all being...
varna. But these conflicting views are least problematic here since Kambojas in ancient times were given to both Kshatrya as well as Brahmanical pursuits (See: Kambojas
Kambojas
The Kambojas were a kshatriya tribe of Iron Age India, frequently mentioned in Sanskrit and Pali literature.They were an Indo-Iranian tribe situated at the boundary of the Indo-Aryans and the Iranians, and appear to have moved from the Iranian into the Indo-Aryan sphere over time.The Kambojas...
). Pali texts' legend of Maha Kapphina however, does not specify any where that Kapphina was a Brahmin or a Kshatriya. But internal evidence of Kapphina legend points to his belonging to the Kshatriya varna.
Maha Kapphina is described by Buddha as pale (or white) (? odata), thin and having a characteristic thin and prominent nose (tanukam tunganasikam). Thus, the personal features, especially the Aryan
Aryan
Aryan is an English language loanword derived from Sanskrit ārya and denoting variously*In scholarly usage:**Indo-Iranian languages *in dated usage:**the Indo-European languages more generally and their speakers...
nose also resemble that of a man from the North/north-west and therefore the Kambojas/Gandharas.
Pukkusati of Gandhara vs Maha Kapphina of Kukkutavati
Anguttara NikayaAnguttara Nikaya
The Anguttara Nikaya is a Buddhist scripture, the fourth of the five nikayas, or collections, in the Sutta Pitaka, which is one of the "three baskets" that comprise the Pali Tipitaka of Theravada Buddhism...
mentions sixteen great countries that flourished during Buddha's time of which only two i.e. the ‘Gandhara
Gandhara
Gandhāra , is the name of an ancient kingdom , located in northern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan. Gandhara was located mainly in the vale of Peshawar, the Potohar plateau and on the Kabul River...
–Kashmira’ and the ‘Kamboja
Kambojas
The Kambojas were a kshatriya tribe of Iron Age India, frequently mentioned in Sanskrit and Pali literature.They were an Indo-Iranian tribe situated at the boundary of the Indo-Aryans and the Iranians, and appear to have moved from the Iranian into the Indo-Aryan sphere over time.The Kambojas...
’ were located in Uttarapatha
Uttarapatha
Ancient Buddhist and Hindu texts use Uttarapatha as the name of the northern part of Jambudvipa, one of the "continents" in Hindu mythology.The name is derived from the Sanskrit terms uttara, for north, and patha, for road...
. Culla-Niddesa adds the Kalinga
Kalinga
Kalinga is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is Tabuk and borders Mountain Province to the south, Abra to the west, Isabela to the east, Cagayan to the northeast, and Apayao to the north...
to the sixteen and substitutes Yona
Yona
"Yona" is a Pali word used in ancient India to designate Greek speakers. Its equivalent in Sanskrit, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu and Tamil is the word "Yavana" and "Jobonan/Jubonan" in Bengali...
for the Gandhāra thus showing that when Chulla-Niddesa was composed, Kamboja Mahajanapada in the Uttarapatha was more important than even the Gandhara and further indicates that Gandhara may have formed part of the Kamboja Mahajanapada at this time. In Buddha's time, Gandhāra and Kasmira formed one country since the two countries are always mentioned together in one expression as "Kasmīra-Gandhāra" in the Pali
Páli
- External links :* *...
texts. According to Gandhara Jataka, Kasmira was included in Gandhara. In Buddha's time, Pukkusāti, contemporary of the Buddha was the king of Gandhara i.e. 'Gandhara-Kasmira' . As he learnt about the appearance of Buddha, his Dharama and Sangha from his friend 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...
, Pukkusati immediately decided to become a Buddha follower, ordained himself as a monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
, renounced his kingdom and traveled all the way to Sāvatthi to see the Buddha. Pali texts refer to Maha Kapphina as a great king of the frontier kingdom of Kukkutavati, 300 Yojana in extent, (in Uttarapatha) and also make him contemporary of the Buddha and Pukkusati. Immediately on hearing of the appearance of Buddha and his Law and Sangha, king Maha Kapphina of Kukkatavati renounced the throne, set forth towards Savatthi to see the Buddha, and like king Pukkusati, he too became a Buddha follower and a monk. The above Buddhist evidence makes it quite clear that Pukkusati and Maha Kapphina were contemporary rulers, both belonged to the Uttarapatha, both abnegated the throne and both had become monks and Buddha followers soon after the appearance of Buddha's Law and Sangha. Since according to Pali textual evidence, Pukkusati was king of ‘Gandhara-Kasmira’, hence his contemporary king Maha Kapphina, said to be a great ruler of a frontier country (hence also from Uttarapatha), could not have been a king either of Gandhara or of Kasmira, as D. D. Kosambi speculates. This clearly means that Maha Kapphina could only have been a king of Kamboja alone (the only other Mahajanapada
Mahajanapadas
Mahājanapadas , literally "great realms", were ancient Indian kingdoms or countries...
or great country located in the Uttarapatha division). And being immediate neighbor to Gandhara, king Maha Kapphina had followed king Pukkusati or vice-versa and embraced the Buddhist faith.
Conclusion
General Alexander Cunningham has identified Kukkatavati kingdom of Maha Kapphina with Chinese Kipin (=Pāṇinian Kapisa) or Greek Kophene and the Kukatagiri with some low peak of Hindukush region, which obviously refers to the land of ancient Kambojas. D . D. Kosambi has located Kukkatavati of king Maha Kapphina near KambojaKambojas
The Kambojas were a kshatriya tribe of Iron Age India, frequently mentioned in Sanskrit and Pali literature.They were an Indo-Iranian tribe situated at the boundary of the Indo-Aryans and the Iranians, and appear to have moved from the Iranian into the Indo-Aryan sphere over time.The Kambojas...
(or Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
). Scholars like Gauri Shankar and Michael Hahn as well as the authors of Proceedings and Transactions of the All-India Oriental Conference and of Indian Linguistics also connect Kipin of the Chinese records with Buddhist name Kapphina but identify Kipin with Kashmir. But it is generally accepted among the scholar community that the Chinese name Kipin is applied to Kapisa country which was a part of ancient Kamboja
Kambojas
The Kambojas were a kshatriya tribe of Iron Age India, frequently mentioned in Sanskrit and Pali literature.They were an Indo-Iranian tribe situated at the boundary of the Indo-Aryans and the Iranians, and appear to have moved from the Iranian into the Indo-Aryan sphere over time.The Kambojas...
(See: Kapisa Province
Kapisa Province
Kapisa is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the north-east of the country. Its capital is Mahmud-i-Raqi, and other districts include Kohistan, Nijrab and Tagab. The population of Kapisa is estimated to be 364,900, although there has never been an official estimate...
). Hence Kapphina and Kapin/Kipin must be related not to Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
but to the Kapisa (Kafiristan
Kafiristan
Kāfiristān or Kāfirstān was a historic name of Nurestan , a province in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan and Pakistan, prior to 1896. This historic region lies on, and mainly comprises, basins of the rivers Alingar, Pech , Landai Sin, and Kunar, and the intervening mountain ranges...
/Kohistan
Kohistan
Kohistan, also transliterated Kuhistan, Kuhiston, Quhistan , may refer to:in Afghanistan*Kohistan, Kapisa Province, Kapisa Province, a town and administrative center of Hesa Awal Kohistan District...
) and to Kophene (Kabul) and therefore, to the Kamboja
Kambojas
The Kambojas were a kshatriya tribe of Iron Age India, frequently mentioned in Sanskrit and Pali literature.They were an Indo-Iranian tribe situated at the boundary of the Indo-Aryans and the Iranians, and appear to have moved from the Iranian into the Indo-Aryan sphere over time.The Kambojas...
. Since Ashvakas
Ashvakas
The Aśvakas or Aśvakayanas, classically called the Assacenii/Assacani , is the Sanskrit name of a people who supposedly lived in northeastern Afghanistan and the Peshawar Valley. They are/were believed to be a sub-group of the Greater Kamboja tribe profusely referenced in ancient Sanskrit/Pali...
of Mashkavati (Massaga) and Kunar valleys were merely a specialized branch (i.e. Ashva-Yuddha-Kushalah) of the more general ethnic term Kamboja, hence D. D.Kosambi's views also reinforce the conclusion that Maha Kaphina was probably a ruler of the Ashvaka country of the Kambojas which around the time of Buddha was only a provincial district of the bigger Kamboja Mahajanapada. It is also not very insignificant to note that there still exists among the modern Kamboj
Kamboj
The Kambojs , also Kamboh, are an ethnic community of the Punjab region. They may relate to the Kambojas, an Iranian tribe known to the people of Iron Age India and mentioned in ancient Sanskrit texts and epigraphy. Kamboj is frequently used as a surname in lieu of the sub-caste or the gotra name...
a clan name known as Kukkar (< Kukkad/Kukkat) who claim to have come to Punjab from north-west across the Indus.
External links
- Mahā Kappina Thera http://www.palikanon.com/english/pali_names/maha/maha_kappina_th.htm