Tribes in Ancient India c50.77

c50.77

Bimbisāra had many sons, of whom we know the names of several, viz. Kūṇika Ajātaśatru, Abhaya,⁷ Vimala-Koṇḍañña,⁸ Vehalla (or Vihalla), Sīlavat, Megha, Halla, and Nandisena.⁹ King Bimbisāra’s eldest son, Ajātaśatru, murdered his father. Many are the myths surrounding this dreadful deed.¹⁰ Devadatta, the recalcitrant cousin of the Buddha, is said to have performed a miracle and thereby succeeded in persuading Ajātaśatru to become his follower. It was he, it is said, who induced the prince to torture his father to death. During the lifetime of Bimbisāra, Ajātaśatru was made king, but at the instigation of Devadatta, he killed his father by starving him, in spite of the efforts of Queen Kośaladevi to provide her husband with sustenance.