Dhammapada 4.3.p30

4.3.p30

Atha naṃ eko puriso āha – ‘‘kiṃ sāmi, nivattitvā olokesī’’ti? ‘‘Sākiyā me purise nāsentī’’ti. ‘‘Tumhākaṃ koci puriso mato nāma natthi. Iṅgha te gaṇāpethā’’ti. Gaṇāpento ekassapi khayaṃ na passi. So tato nivattitvā ‘‘ye ye pana bhaṇe ‘sākiyamhā’ti bhaṇanti, sabbe māretha, mātāmahassa pana mahānāmasakkassa santike ṭhitānaṃ jīvitaṃ dethā’’ti āha. Sākiyā gahetabbagahaṇaṃ apassantā ekacce tiṇaṃ ḍaṃsitvā, ekacce naḷaṃ gahetvā aṭṭhaṃsu. ‘‘Tumhe sākiyā, no’’ti pucchitā yasmā te marantāpi musāvādaṃ na bhaṇanti, tasmā tiṇaṃ ḍaṃsitvā ṭhitā ‘‘no sāko, tiṇa’’nti vadanti. Naḷaṃ gahetvā ṭhitā ‘‘no sāko, naḷo’’ti vadanti. Ye ca mahānāmassa santike ṭhitā, te ca jīvitaṃ labhiṃsu. Tesu tiṇaṃ ḍaṃsitvā ṭhitā tiṇasākiyā nāma, naḷaṃ gahetvā ṭhitā naḷasākiyā nāma jātāti, viṭaṭūbho avasese khīrapakepi dārake avissajjetvā ghātāpento lohitanadiṃ pavattetvā tesaṃ galalohitena phalakaṃ dhovāpesi. Evaṃ sākiyavaṃso viṭaṭūbhena upacchinno.

As Viḍūḍabha turned back, he said to his men, “I direct you to kill all those who say, ‘We are Sākiyas,’ but to spare the lives of those who follow Mahānāma the Sākiya.” The Sākiyas stood their ground, and having no other resources, some took blades of grass in their teeth, while others held reeds. Now the Sākiyas would rather die than utter an untruth. So when they were asked, “Are you Sākiyas or not?” those who held blades of grass in their teeth said, “Not _sāka_, ‘potherb,’ but ‘grass’;” while those who held reeds said, “Not _sāka_, ‘potherb,’ but ‘reed.’” The lives of those who followed Mahānāma were spared. Those of the Sākiyas who held blades of grass in their teeth came to be known as Grass Sākiyas, and those who held reeds as Reed Sākiyas. Viḍūḍabha slew all the rest, sparing not even infants at the breast. And when he had set flowing a river of blood, he washed his seat with the blood of their throats. Thus was the stock of the Sākiyas uprooted by Viḍūḍabha.