Early Monastic Buddhism v2.c27.s1: Udāyibhadda
Early Monastic Buddhism v2.c27.s1
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Udāyibhadda
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According to the Buddhist and Jain traditions, though not according to the *Purāṇas*,⁴ Ajātasattu was succeeded by his son Udāyibhadda. He ruled for 16 years.¹ The *Mmk.* says that like his father he was not only enthusiastic about the religion but also had the sayings of Buddha collected.² In the same text³ again, it is stated that the religion would decline after Buddha's death, the kings would be fighting with one another, and the monks would busy themselves with various secular matters, find fault of one another, and lack in self-restraint. The monks and men would be demoralised, indulge in false disputations, and become jealous of one another. The non-Buddhists would gain the upper hand and the people would revert to Brāhmanism and take to animal killing and such other evil practices. If this self-contradictory statement of the *Mmk.* be considered along with the discreet silence of the Ceylonese chronicles about the activities of Udāyibhadda, it seems that the cause of Buddhism found little favour with the king. The text adds that there would be, however, some good men, gods and beings other than human, who would continue to worship the relics, and though the religion would be on the wane, there would be at least eight distinguished monks¹ with Rāhula as the chief to protect the religion.
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⁴ Raychaudhuri, *op. cit.* p 143
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¹ 20 years according to the *Mmk.*, p. 604 Prof. Chattopadhyaya assigns to him a reigning period of 25 years. Recently Prof. K. Chattopadhyaya has re-examined the question of succession of the kings of Magadha and arrived at the conclusion that Darśaka was an alternative name of Udāyi as Śreṇika was of Bimbisāra and Kunika of Ajātaśatru. (See *Proc of the Indian History Congress*, Lahore, 1940, pp. 140-7) Prof. Bhandarkar identifies Darśaka with Nāgadāsaka. Cf *Divyāvadāna*, p. 369.
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² *Mmk.*, p. 604:— तस्यापि सुतो राजा उदाराख्यः प्रकीर्त्तितः । भविष्यति तदा चित्रं शासनार्थं च उद्यतः ॥ तदेतत् प्रवचनं शास्तु लिखायिष्यति विस्तरम् । पूजांश्च महतों कृत्वा दिक् समन्तान् नमिष्यति ॥
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³ *Mmk.*, p. 597-8
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¹ The list of monks given elsewhere is as follows — Mmk, p. 64: Śāriputra, Maudgalyāyana, Mahākāśyapa, Subhūti, Rāhula, Nanda, Bhadrika, Kaphiṇa. Ibid, p. 111: Śāriputra, Maudgalyāyana, Gavāmpati, Piṇḍola-Bharadvāja, Pilindavatsa, Rāhula, Mahākāśyapa, Ānanda
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Buston² writes that the guardianship of the religion was entrusted by the Teacher to (Mahā) Kāśyapa, who in turn entrusted it to Ānanda. Both Kāśyapa and Ānanda passed away during the life-time of Ajātasattu. Ānanda charged his disciple Saṇavāsika to protect the religion after his demise and to ordain, in course of time, Upagupta of Mathurā. He foretold that, according to the prophecy of the Teacher, Upagupta would become a Buddha but not with all the characteristics of a Sambuddha.
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² Obermiller's Translation of Buston's History of Buddhism (henceforth abbreviated as Buston), II, p 88
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Just before his demise, Ānanda also ordained 500 Brāhmanical anchorites with Madhyāntika at their head, and entrusted him with the propagation of the religion in Kashmir. The episode of Madhyāntika and his activities in Kashmir do not find any mention in the Ceylonese chronicles.
Cites (3)
- Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa — Sanskrit
- Divyāvadāna — Sanskrit
- Purāṇa — Sanskrit