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Early Monastic Buddhism v1.c14.s6: The Videhas

Early Monastic Buddhism v1.c14.s6

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The Videhas

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In the legend of the *Śatapatha-Brāhmaṇa* referred to above, Videgha Māthava is said to be the first coloniser of the land of the Videhas across the river Sadānīrā. This river was its western limit while Kauśikī was the eastern; on its north were the Himalayas and the Ganges on the south. In the pre-Buddha days it became an important centre of brāhmanic culture on account of Janaka's enthusiasm for, and patronage of, learning and spiritual culture which converted his court into an important meeting-place of learned men specially from the western countries of Kosala and Kuru-Pañcāla.¹ At the time of Buddha the Videhas formed a part of the Vajjian confederacy. In the *Mahāgovinda-sutta*, Mithilā, the capital of the Videhas, is mentioned as one of the seven kingdoms of Northern India. It was given to Mahāgovinda, who was a believer in the Brahmā cult. Ajātasattu was often called Vedehiputta² while Ānanda Vedehamuni. This may be due to the fact that their mothers hailed from the land of the Videhas.³ The *Makhādeva* and *Mahājanaka Jātakas* and the *Brahmāyu Sutta*⁴ testify to the prevalence of brāhmanism in Videha at the time of Buddha. The *Nikāyas* are silent as to Buddha's missionary work in the place and the volume of opposition met by him there in the propagation of his religion. It is only in the *Majjhima Nikāya* that we find that he stayed at Makhādeva-ambavana of Mithilā and converted on a certain occasion Brahmāyu a distinguished and an old brāhmaṇa teacher, who was awe-inspired by the *mahāpurusalakkhaṇas* on Buddha's body.

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¹ *Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad*, III; Oldenberg's *Buddha*, p. 398.

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² Rockhill, *Life of the Buddha*, p. 63 but for the Pāli tradition see *Sumangala Vilāsini*, I, p. 139.

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³ *Apādāna Comy.*, p. 106.

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⁴ *Majjhima*, II, pp. 74 ff., 133 ff.

Cites (6)