Chandragupta Maurya and His Times c5.9

c5.9

It is to be noted that Buddhist tradition does not impute any base origin to the Nandas and thus runs counter to the Brahminical and Jain traditions. The first Nanda in the Buddhist account simply overthrows by force the previous ruling dynasty of Magadha as the culmination of a previous career of violence, as described above. Another notable point of divergence between Buddhist and other traditions is that the Buddhist texts, while knowing of the *nine* Nandas, and even of the name of each Nanda, describes them as brothers. The *Mahāvaṁsa* states: "*Nava Nandā* (also *navabhātaro*) *tato āsuṁ*." The worst infamy which Buddhist tradition records against these Nandas is that they were originally outlaws and robbers. The *Mahābodhivaṁsa* describes the Nanda kings as *chorapubbas*,¹ ‘the dacoits of old.”