Viá¸Å«á¸abhaSon of Pasenadi and VÄsabhakhattiyÄ. On the birth of Viá¸Å«á¸abha, the king, glad at having a son, sent word to his own grandmother asking her to choose a name. The minister who delivered the message was deaf, and when the grandmother spoke of VÄsabhakhattiyÄ as being dear to the king, mistook “vallabha†for Viá¸Å«á¸abha,†and, thinking that this was an old family name, bestowed it on the prince. When the boy was quite young, Pasenadi conferred on him the rank of general (senÄpati), thinking that this would please the Buddha. It was for the same reason he married VÄsabhakhattiyÄ; both in the PiyajÄtika Sutta (M.ii.110) and the Kannakatthala Suttas (M.ii.127) VidÅ«dabha is spoken of as senÄpati. When Viá¸Å«á¸abha was seven years old, he wished to visit his maternal grandparents, hoping to be given presents, like his companions by theirs, but VÄsabhakhattiyÄ persuaded him against this, telling him that they lived too far away. However, he continued to express this desire, and when he reached the age of sixteen she consented to his going. Thereupon, accompanied by a large retinue, he set out for Kapilavatthu. The SÄkyans sent all the younger princes away, there being thus none to pay obeisance to him in answer to his salute, the remaining ones being older than he. He was shown every hospitality and stayed for several days. On the day of his departure, one of his retinue overheard a contemptuous remark passed by a slave woman who was washing, with milk and water, the seat on which Viá¸Å«á¸abha had sat. This was reported to him, and, having discovered the deceit which had been practiced on his father, he vowed vengeance on the SÄkyans. Pasenadi cut off all honours from VÄsabhakhattiyÄ and her son, but restored them later, at the Buddha’s suggestion. After Pasenadi’s death, which was brought about by the treachery of DÄ«ghakÄrÄyana in making Viá¸Å«á¸abha king (for details see Pasenadi), Viá¸Å«á¸abha remembered his oath, and set out with a large army for Kapilavatthu. The Buddha, aware of this, stood under a tree, with scanty shade, just within the boundaries of the SÄkyan kingdom. On the boundary was a banyan which gave deep shade. Viá¸Å«á¸abha, seeing the Buddha, asked him to sit under the banyan. “Be not worried,†said the Buddha, “the shade of my kinsmen keeps me cool.†Viá¸Å«á¸abha understood and returned home with his army. This exposure to the sun gave the Buddha a headache which lasted through out his life (UdA.265; Ap.i.300). Three times he marched against the SÄkyans and three times he saw the Buddha under the same tree and turned back. The fourth time the Buddha knew that the fate of the SÄkyans could not be averted and remained away. In a previous existence they had conspired and thrown poison into a river. The SÄkyans went armed into the battle, but not wishing to kill, they shot their arrows into Viá¸Å«á¸abha’s ranks without killing anyone. On this being brought to Viá¸Å«á¸abha’s notice, he gave orders that all the SÄkyans, with the exception of the followers of the SÄkyan MahÄnÄma, should be slain. The SÄkyans stood their ground, some with blades of grass and some with reeds. These were spared, and came to be known as TinasÄkyÄ and NalasÄkiyÄ respectively.* The others were all killed, even down to the infants. MahÄnÄma was taken prisoner and went back with Viá¸Å«á¸abha, who wished him to share his meal. However, MahÄnÄma said he wished to bathe, and plunged into a lake with the idea of dying rather than eating with a slave woman’s child. The NÄgas of the lake, however, saved him and took him to the NÄga world. That same night Viá¸Å«á¸abha pitched his camp on the dry bed of the AciravatÄ«. Some of his men lay on the banks, others on the river bed. Some of those who lay on the river bed were not guilty of evil in their past lives, while some who slept on the bank were. Ants appeared on the ground where the sinless ones lay, and they changed their sleeping places. During the night there was a sudden flood, and Viá¸Å«á¸abha and those of his retinue who slept in the river bed were washed into the sea. This account is taken from DhA.i.346 9, 357 61; but see also J.i.133 and iv.146f., 151f. * According to Chinese records, Viá¸Å«á¸abha took five hundred SÄkyan maidens into his harem, but they refused to submit to him and abused him and his family. He ordered them to be killed, their hands and feet to be cut off, and their bodies thrown into a ditch. The Buddha sent a monk to teach them, and they were reborn after death in heaven. Sakra collected their bones and burnt them (Beal, op. cit.ii.11f.). The eleventh Pallava of the AvadÄnakalpalatÄ has a similar story. Viá¸Å«á¸abha killed seventy-seven thousand SÄkyans and stole eighty thousand boys and girls. The girls were rude to him, and he ordered their death. |
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Dictionary of PÄli Proper Names • G.P. Malalasekera |
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