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Aspects of Mahayana Buddhism and its Relation to Hinayana c5.s2.t7: Career of the Mahāsāṅghikas

Aspects of Mahāyāna Buddhism and its Relation to Hīnayāna c5.s2.t7

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Career of the Mahāsāṅghikas

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Further light might be thrown on the propagation of Buddhism during this period, if the tradition of the Mahāsāṅghikas had been to hand. It may be that the Chinese versions of the Mahāsāṅghika Vinaya may contain some information, but as yet we are in the dark about it. In the absence of any Mahāsānghika tradition, we cannot have much definite information about the Mahāsānghikas, or the part of India to which they confined their activities. From the account of the Vesālian Council, we can say that they retained their seat at Vesāli, and from the inscriptions on the Mathura Lion Capital (120 B.C.)¹ and on the Wardak vase in Afghanistan,² it may be inferred that they made attempts to proceed towards the north, but the caves of Karle and the location of the centre of activities of their offshoots, the Pubbaseliyas and Aparaseliyas, at Dhanakaṭaka³ indicate that they were later on successful in their propaganda more in the south than in the north.

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¹ *Ep. Ind.*, IX, pp. 139, 141, 146.

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² *Ibid.*, XI, p. 211; for other places in India where the Mahāsānghikas made their way, see *Early History* etc., pp. 241 ff.

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³ See infra; Pag Sam Jon Zang, p. 74: Dhana-srihi-gliṅ.

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According to Dr. Burgess the Amarāvatī stūpas at Dharaṇikoṭ (Dhānyakaṭaka) were originally constructed as early as the 2nd century B.C.⁴ and Nāgārjuna was closely associated with the Buddhist establishment of this place. At any rate there is no doubt about the fact that Dhānyakaṭaka was the chief centre of the Caityakas, the Pūrva- and Aparasaila branches of the Mahāsānghika school, and that the people living there and in its neighbourhood lavished gifts on this Buddhist establishment. It was one of the places mentioned in the *Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa*⁵ as suitable for carrying on Buddhistic practices. The *Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa* also mentions that it contained the relics of Buddha.⁶ This is corroborated by the recent find of an inscription, recording a gift of a pillar by the sister of Mahārāja Mādhariputra Śrīvirapuruṣadatta to the caitya enshrining the dhātu of Sammāsambuddha. Among the inscriptions of this place, edited by Dr. Burgess, there is one (No. 121) which refers to the Caityakas, of which the Pūrva- and Aparasailas were branches. Among the recent finds in the neighbourhood of the place, two among other inscriptions have been found, referring to the Puvaseliya (Pūrvaśaila) and Avaras (Aparaśaila).¹ The inscriptions are supposed to be of the 2nd century A.D. Another important place near Dhānyakaṭaka was Śrīparvata (Srisailam), where, according to the Tibetan tradition, Nāgārjuna passed his last days.² The Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa also takes notice of this mountain as a suitable place for Buddhistic practices, and one of the inscriptions, recently found, records that some devotees constructed a number of caityas and vihāras, and dug wells for pilgrims visiting the sacred place from Gandhāra, Cina, Aparānta, Vaṅga, Vanavāsī, Tambapaṇṇidīpa, etc.³ From these facts, it may be concluded that about the beginning of the Christian era there was on the bank of the Krishna in the Guntur district a very important centre of the Mahā-sāṅghikas. The name Andhakas given to the offshoots of this school⁴ also point to the fact of its popularity in the Andhra country and of its being supported, as the Amarā-vatī inscriptions show, by the kings, nobles and people of the Andhra country.

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⁴ Burgess, *Amaravati and Jaggayapeta Stupas*, p. 100.

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⁵ *Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa* (Trivandrum Sanskrit Series), p. 88.

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⁶ *Ibid.*: Śridhānyakaṭake caitye jinadhātudhare.

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¹ Annual Report of S. I. Epigraphy, 1924, p. 97; 1926, pp. 70, 92-03; 1927, p. 42; see also I.H.Q., V, pp. 794-6.

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² Burgess, op. cit., p. 6; Tāra., pp. 73, 81.

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³ Annual Report of S.I. Epigraphy, 1927, pp. 43, 71. Dr. L. D. Barnett kindly drew my attention to the recent finds of the inscriptions.

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⁴ Kathāvatthuppakaraṇaṭṭhakathā, p. 52.

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