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think, is not the king's conversion but rather its results for the throne of Sindhu-Sovira, viz the coronation not of the king's son Abhīi, but of his nephew Kesi. The story may then, as was the case with VII 92-3, be illustrative of the interest the Viy. takes in the political history of Mv.'s time and esp. in facts relating to members of Mv.'s own family: Pabhāvaī, Uddāyana's wife and Abhii's mother, was a daughter of Cedaga of Vesāli and consequently, as was Migāvai in XII 2, a niece of Mv.'s; moreover, after his humiliating postponement Abhii goes to Kūņiya, Mv.'s grand-nephew.
The historicity of the whole story is, however, very questionable. According to the Buddhists (Divyāvadāna 37, on which see J. NOBEL, Udrāyaṇa, König von Roruka, Wiesbaden 1955, p. XII seq.) king Udrāyaṇa (cf. Uddāyaṇa) of Roruka (not identified) wants to get in touch with Bimbisāra. The latter sends him an image of the Buddha. Now Udrāyana begs Bimbisāra to send him a monk and after his favourite wife's sudden death, deciding to join the order himself, he makes a pilgrimage to Rājagrha where he is ordained by the Buddha. Although the king is later on murdered while visiting his native town (as he also is in the Jaina version) there is no mention of a nephew, Udrāyana's son Sikhandi being the regular successor to the throne.
This conversion story of Uddāyana of Sindhu-Sovira is referred to in Antag. 7. Note that the Udāyaṇa BARNETT mentions in his remark to this text (Antag. p. 96, n. 2) is another king, see Viy. XII 2.
$ 20. Stories about Gods. In conclusion I may be allowed to draw the reader's attention to one other type of story. In III 12. 2, XVI 5 and XVIII 2 we read that a god (īsāņa, Camara, Gangadatta and Sakka resp.) approaches Mv.; after his departure Goy. questions his master on the god's majesty (iddhi), its karmic cause i.e. the god's former existence (puovabhava), and his future. This type of story has got an ample poetical adaptation in Rāy. As a rule, however, it was treated very stereotypically and has become a readily used cliché in
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