Early Monastic Buddhism v2.c39.s2: Bindusāra
Early Monastic Buddhism v2.c39.s2
- Language
- English
Bindusāra
v2.c39.s2.1
Bindusāra, influenced and surrounded as he was by the Brāhmaṇa ministers, the chief of whom was Cāṇakya, lent his support to Brāhmanism. In the *Samantapāsādikā*,² as also in the *Mahāvamsa*³ it is stated that Bindusāra fed 60,000 brāhmaṇas and members of the brāhmanical religious orders. The Buddhist historians have mostly passed over the name of Bindusāra, proving thereby the king's lukewarmness if not antipathy towards Buddhism. Inspite of Bindusāra's lack of interest, the progress of the religion did not suffer any serious set-back.⁴ chief centre of Buddhism remained in Magadha, although the new sects, which came into existence a few decades ago, preferred to move away from this ancient centre to find a home for themselves in different parts of India. We may say that during the reign of Bindusāra, the Theravādins shifted their centre to Avantī, the Sarvāstivādins to Mathurā, the Mahīśāsakas to Mysore, and the Mahāsanghikas to the Andhra country, but all of them had their adherents living in the monasteries of Magadha.
v2.c39.s2.2
² *Samantapāsādikā*, I, p. 44.
v2.c39.s2.3
³ *Mahāvamsa*, V, 34.
v2.c39.s2.4
⁴ Tāranātha (German transl., p. 89) states that Bindusāra with the
Cites (2)
- Mahāvaṃsa — Pāli
- Samantapāsādikā — Sanskrit