Early Monastic Buddhism v2.c39.1

v2.c39.1

Mahāpadma Nanda, according to the testimony of the Buddhist historians, patronised Buddhism and died as a true Buddhist (see above, p. 24). That he was not well disposed towards the Brāhmins is evidenced by the episode of Cāṇakya, whose claim as the leading Brāhmaṇa of the time in Pupphapura¹ on account of his extraordinary proficiency in the Brāhmaṇical lore was rejected by Mahāpadma Nanda. It is also not improbable that for his Buddhist leanings he lost his throne through the machinations of his Brahmin ministers. His reign was however marked in the Buddhist ecclesiastical history by several controversies and appearance of un-orthodox views within the Saṅgha. These controversies went on unabated and gave rise to several new sects, a survey of which is given in the previous chapters.