Pre-Buddhist India: A Political, Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey of Ancient India Based Mainly on the Jataka Stories c4.t2.103

c4.t2.103

Very often the king smelt the suspicious nature of his son when acting as a Viceroy. He did not, then, want his presence in the city, as long as he himself was alive. Thus ponders a king on seeing his son who had come to pay his respects to him: "This fellow may do me wrong, if he gets an opportunity." And he asks him to go away from his city and live in another place. The son goes to a village and dwells there with his wife.³ Another instance of such a banishment is given in the *Puṭabhatta Jātaka*.⁴ Accompanied with his wife the prince comes to a village and lives there during the rest of his father's life. Similarly a king growing suspicious on observing how magnificent was the pomp of his son, banishes him from his realm. The prince with his wife makes his way to the Himalayas and lives there till his father's death.⁵ Similar are the fears entertained by the king of the *Bhūridatta Jātaka*,⁶ and he orders the heir-apparent to accept a life of temporary exile from the city. In all these instances, we notice that the exile was only temporary; immediately after the death of the father, the prince returned to take charge of the kingdom which was hereditary (*kulasantakam*). A few more instances of these unfilial relations may be noticed. A king wants to get rid of his son whom he had appointed as the Viceroy. When his Kingdom is attacked by a hostile king, he orders his son to go and defend the city. But the latter, knowing the situation, leaves the city, the whole population following him. The king thus left helpless flees away with his wife and the *purohita* and the prince then comes back to occupy the throne.⁷ In another place⁸ a prince actually puts his father to death and in this case also the parricide is helped by his attendants, while the priestly friend flies away to the Himalayas on hearing about this plot.