Historical Geography of Ancient India c6.397

c6.397

This city was ruled by many important kings. Drupada, father of Draupadī, the wife of the five Pāṇḍava brothers of the *Mahābhārata* fame, Brahmadatta,⁷ Kāmpilya,⁸ son of king Haryaśva, who was celebrated as Pañcāla, and Samara,⁹ son of Nipa of the Ajamīḍa dynasty, were the rulers of Kāmpilya. King Cūḷaṇi Brahmadatta was instructed by the learned Brahmins in religious and secular matters (*Jātaka*, VI, 391ff.). There was a king named Pañcāla who gave shelter to a learned Brahmin in his royal garden. The Brahmin, before he left for the Himalayan region, instructed the king to keep the moral law, observe the fast days and to be religious (Jātaka, III, 79ff.). King Dummukha, who was a contemporary of king Naggaji of Gandhāra, renounced the world after having listened to the religious discourse delivered by the four Paccekabuddhas.¹ The Bodhisattvāvadāna-Kalpalatā² mentions king Satyarata who was very pious, and king Brahmadatta to whom the Mahāvastu also refers (Vol. I, p. 283). King Sañjaya of Kāmpilya gave up his kingly power and adopted Jainism being instructed by a monk not to indulge in life-slaughter.³ Dharmaruci was a very pious king of Kāmpilya who carried his whole army to Kāśī through the air by virtue of his piety when the king of Benaras picked up a quarrel with him.⁴