On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629–645 A.D. v1.c15.62

v1.c15.62

Continuing his narrative the pilgrim states that above 100 paces to the east of the Jetavana monastery was a deep pit through which Devadatta, for having sought to kill the Buddha by poison, went down alive into Hell. Devadatta, the son of Hu-fan-wang ("Peck-food-king"), had in the course of twelve years by zealous perseverance acquired the 80,000 compendia of doctrine; and afterwards, for the sake of its material advantages, he had sought to attain supernormal power. He associated with the irreligious (lit. wicked friends) and reasoned with them thus— "I have all the outward signs of the Buddha except two, a great Congregation attends me, and I am as good as the Ju-lai". Putting these thoughts in practice he broke up the Brotherhood (that is, by alluring disciples from the Buddha to himself). But Maudgalyaputra and Sariputra, under Buddha's instructions and by his power, won the strayed Brethren back. Devadatta, however, kept his evil mind, put poison in his finger-nails with a view to kill Buddha in the act of doing him reverence, and fared as in the story.