Republics in Ancient India, c. 1500 B.C.–500 B.C. c13.s3: Political History
Republics in Ancient India, c. 1500 B.C.–500 B.C. c13.s3
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Political History
c13.s3.1
There is not a single mention of the Sakyas in the entire pre-Buddhist Brāhmaṇic literature. But in the Pāli texts frequent mentions of king Okkāka (Ikṣvāku) are found in association with the Sakyas.⁴ This may suggest the latter's connection with the Kuru-Pāñcāla dynasty of the Ikṣvākus and indicate that the Sakyas, like the Videhas, the Licchavis, the Mallas and others, had moved eastwards from the western region of north India. The study of the Brāhmaṇic literature and the knowledge gained from the Buddhist texts about the Kosalans on the one hand, and the Videhas and Licchavis and their geographical locations on the other, tend to suggest that the Sakyas had, during the 7th century B.C. or a little earlier, taken possession of a tract of land along the Himālayan foothills occupied by the Kosalans and bordering on the Videhan territory. During the lifetime of the Buddha, the Sakyas, along with the Koliyas, the Moriyas and the Mallas, separated the Kosalan territory from that of the Videhas and the Licchavis. This would suggest that these republics expanded at the cost of the Kosalan kingdom.¹
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⁴ *Dīgha*, i, pp. 87ff; *Jāt.*, ii, p. 299; v, pp. 141-2, 145-7, 160, etc.; *cf.* Jayaswal, *Hindu Polity*, pp. 177-8.
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¹ *Cf.* our map. A
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The *Kuṇāla Jātaka* informs us of a quarrel about the waters of the river Rohiṇi, which both the Sakyas and the Koliyas needed for the irrigation of their crops.² "But other teachers tell the story thus," continues the same text. "When the female slaves of the Sākiyas and the Koliyas came to the river to fetch water, and throwing the coils of cloth that they carried on their heads upon the ground, were seated and pleasantly conversing, a certain woman took another's cloth, thinking it was her own; and then owing to this a quarrel arose, each claiming the coil of the cloth as hers. Gradually, the people of the two cities, the serfs and the labourers, the attendants, landholders or headmen, councillors and viceroys, all of them sallied forth ready for battle."³ The *Jātaka* preamble concludes: "But the former version found in many commentaries and being plausible is to be accepted rather than the other".⁴ We agree with the *Jātaka* writer as the quarrel over the coil of cloth seems too petty a reason for a serious feud like this. The quarrel was, however, mitigated by the appearrance of the Buddha on the scene.
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² *Jāt.*, v, pp. 412-13.
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³ *Ibid.*, p. 413; also alluded to in *Jāt.*, i, p. 208—one of the *Jātakas* narrated at the time of the feud.
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⁴ *Loc. cit.*
c13.s3.8
According to the tradition, after the seizure of the throne of Kosala by Viḍūḍabha, his father Pasenadi died. It is said that Viḍūḍabha was on bad terms with the Sakyas because they had given his father to wife a slave girl who was the mother of Viḍūḍabha.⁵ According to this story, the destruction of the Sakyas was his first aim. He advanced towards Kapilavatthu with his army three times, but thrice he returned out of regard for the Buddha. But the fourth time he went ahead with his attack because the Buddha did not intervene. "The king Viḍūḍabha slew all the Sakyas, beginning with babes at the breast, and with their hearts' blood did he wash the bench [on which he had sat in the Sakyan assembly] and returned."⁶ This is just the sort of legend that would be concocted in order to bring scorn on the wicked Viḍūḍabha. Moreover, these are the sort of details which would be invented to fit the moral. In our opinion, the only reliable fact is that Viḍūḍabha conquered and absorbed the Sakyas. In view of the fact that the Sakyas claimed a share of the Buddha’s relics it seems likely that this took place some time after the *Parinirvāṇa*. It appears, however, that the story developed among people with considerable knowledge of the district, since it contains several circumstantial topographical details, and we have therefore made use of it for establishing the Sakyan boundaries.
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⁵ *Jāt.*, iv, pp. 144ff; Rockhill, *op. cit.*, pp. 117ff.
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⁶ *Ibid.*, p. 152.
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The Tibetan version of the scene of this battle is depicted more dramatically.¹ It says:
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¹ *Cf.* Rockhill, *op. cit.*, pp. 112ff.
c13.s3.13
As soon as the Śākyas of Kapila heard that Virūḍhaka had come with all his troops to destroy them they got together their army, sallied forth and repulsed him . . . . After repelling Virūḍhaka’s army, the Śākyas re-entered the city, shut their gates, and remained watching on their walls, sounding their trumpets the while . . . . The Śākyas issued a proclamation prohibiting anyone from attacking Virūḍhaka or his army . . . There happened to be a Śākya called Shampaka who was off working for himself on the hills, and who had not heard the proclamation . . . . Filled with rage on hearing of Virūḍhaka’s attack, he sallied forth towards Virūḍhaka’s army, and overthrew a great number of persons, the greater part of whom he killed outright. Virūḍhaka, greatly discouraged, said to Ambarisha, ‘Are these your righteous people who will not kill even a beetle? If they all kill as many of us as this one man, there will not be left a soul living among us.’²
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² *Ibid.*, pp. 117-8.
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The same source further informs us that they took resort in ‘‘fermenting dissensions among the inhabitants’’. After consulting together at the receipt of Virūḍhaka-Viḍūḍabha’s message, the Sakyan assembly followed their headman (*rgan-po*) and advocated opening of the gates. Hardly were the gates opened than the Kosalan army broke in upon them and started the extermination of the Sakyas. ‘‘Seeing this [accomplished], Virūḍhaka thought, ‘Now I may depart, for I have fulfilled my promise.’ He had massacred in this way the greater part of believers.’’³
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³ *Ibid.*, pp. 119-20.
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These are the two versions of the story which describe the elimination of the Sakyas at the hands of Viḍūḍabha-Virūḍhaka, the king of Kosala. We are inclined to ignore in the Pāli version the account of the Buddha in protecting his people because it may simply have been a gratifying tribute to the Master, over-emphasizing his influence on the political events of the time. Similarly we would ignore the dramatic effects worked-up by the Tibetan writers. From the crux of the two stories the simple fact emerges clearly that Viḍūḍabha invaded the land of the Sakyas for reasons not very different from those of his contemporary Ajātasattu’s invasion of the Vajjis.¹ Probably by attacking the Sakyas Viḍūḍabha wanted to gain possession of the land which had formerly been a part of the Kosalan kingdom. There was strong opposition from the side of the sturdy Sakyas, like that of the Vajjians against Ajātasattu, and there was severe fighting and great loss of life on both sides. The three returns of the invading army of Viḍūḍabha's on the intervention of the Buddha may suggest the long duration of the war. The Tibetan version does not exclude the role of diplomacy and the fermenting of dissension among the Sakyans. Consequently they were badly crushed with great losses sustained on both sides. We may further conjecture that because of these losses Ajātasattu took the opportunity to invade Kosalan territory soon after the war was over. Perhaps that is why we do not hear of Viḍūḍabha or his successors, if he had any, after his war with the Sakyas. When the curtain rises again, Kosala has been absorbed into Magadha.²
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¹ Rhys Davids, *Buddhist India*, pp. 11-12; *cf.* Basham, *Proc. Ind. Hist. Cong.*, 1951, p. 39.
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² *CHI*, i, p. 182.
c13.s3.20
The Tibetan version enlarges the story after the war,³ and there we are told that some of the Sakyas escaped to Nepal and some to Rājagaha, while others were captured by Viḍūḍabha and put to the sword. The story ends with the death of Viḍūḍabha and his minister, as the Buddha had forcast. This simply shows that some of the Sakyas escaped, although the sources are not reliable as to exactly where they went, while others were put to death. The death of Viḍūḍabha is also suggestive of a new factor in the downfall of the Kosala kingdom.
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³ Rockhill, *op. cit.*, pp. 121ff.
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We do not, of course, subscribe to the miraculous death of Viḍūḍabha as described in the sources. Neither may the *argumentum ex silentio* necessarily be applicable to the fact that no allusion to Ajātasattu's attack is made. On the one hand we hear nothing of Viḍūḍabha or his successors from the early Pāli texts, while on the other the late Tibetan tradition records his miraculous death with his minister soon after they had annihilated the Sakyas. We are inclined to suggest that what the Tibetan tradition alludes to is the historical fact of Viḍūḍabha’s death at the hands of Ajātasattu, who probably attacked the greatly weakened Kosalan king after the Kosalan-Sakyan war. It was the Magadhan king who dealt the deathblow to the Kosalan kingdom and consequently incorporated it into the expanding Magadhan empire.
c13.s3.23
After its defeat by Viḍūḍabha, the Sakyan republic disappeared forever. However, we believe the final blow was not dealt by Viḍūḍabha during the lifetime of the Buddha; if so, how could the Sakyans claim their share of the relics at Kusinārā? We are inclined to think that, despite the Tibetan tradition, the end of the Sakyas did not come until after the Buddha had passed away.
c13.s3.24
The Sakyas never regained political importance after the war and that is probably why we do not find them mentioned by Pāṇini or Kauṭilya. Some Sakyan families and individuals may well have survived, but we no longer hear of these children of the mountains who tended to cling to the hills and, like mountaineers the world over, were generally distinguished by a sturdy independence, both in politics and in religion. But a late Buddhist tradition informs us that some of the Sakyas escaped from Kapilavatthu, established a settlement there, and became known in history as the Moriyas of Pipphalivana.¹
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¹ *Cf.* below, pp. 219ff.
Linked texts (2)
- Jātaka — Pāli
- Ambaṭṭhasutta — Pāli