Early Monastic Buddhism v1.c14.s2.1

v1.c14.s2.1

MAGADHA became the scene of Buddha's missionary activity after Kāsī. It was one of the most prosperous provinces during the reign of Bimbisāra, who had under his sway, as the tradition goes, as many as 80,000 villages.¹ Its capital Rājagaha attained importance not only as a commercial centre but also as a rendezvous of religious and intellectual men of diverse views. In the pre-Buddha days, Magadha was looked down by the brāhmaṇas as a country unfit for sacrificial fire, and as such unsuitable for habitation of orthodox brāhmaṇas of noble and pure descent. On account of the absence of orthodox brāhmaṇas, non-brāhmanic views found there a free scope for expression and so it is said that Magadha seethed with sophistic discussions and that dṛṣṭikaṣāya was there. The Brahmajāla and Sāmaññaphala suttantas delivered as Rājagaha amply testify to the fact that there was no end of brāhmanic and non-brāhmanic views prevalent in Magadha, and that the six titthiyas² also selected this province as their field of work. Side by side with the titthiyas, there were the brāhmanical teachers like Rudraka Rāmaputra and Kūṭadanta. The former had an āśrama where Buddha lived for sometime before the attainment of bodhi while the latter enjoyed the income of a village granted to him by Bimbisāra,³ performed sacrifices on grand scales, killing hundreds of animal victims. There were a few other brāhmanic teachers who taught that supernatural powers, heavenly happiness and mokṣa could be obtained through rigorous asceticism.⁴