Tribes in Ancient India c32.104

c32.104

The Buddhist texts contain many stories about eminent men and women of Kośala, and many of these are in some way associated with Pasenadi. For instance, Mallikā, queen of Pasenadi, built an ārāma at the Kośala capital, Śrāvastī, known as Mallikārāma, where the teacher Poṭṭhapāda went to live.⁸ The Dīgha Nikāya tells us that Pokkharasādi, a famous Brāhmaṇ teacher of Kośala, enjoyed some property given to him by Pasenadi. The king did not allow him to enter his presence, but used to consult him behind a screen.⁹ Buddhaghoṣa also furnishes some details about this sage. Pokharasāti or Pokkharasādi, says he, was a Brāhmaṇa, living at Ukkaṭṭhanagara, which had been given him by the king of Kośala, Pasenadi, as Brahmadeyya (i.e. as a Brahmin’s fee). He was well versed in the Vedas and in the arts, and the king bestowed Ukkaṭṭhanagara upon him because he was satisfied by a display of his learning.¹ A certain Aggidatta was the purohita or royal chaplain of Mahākosala, father of Pasenadi, and Pasenadi also accepted him as his purohita. Later, Moggallāna converted Aggidatta and his disciples to Buddhism.²