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the news to Ajātas'atru. But no sooner did the king hear about the death of the Buddha than he fell down in a swoon. The administration of the same bath was repeated twice in consequence of which the king regained his consciousness and expressed a deep grief(98). According to another account, minister Vassakāra showed the king pictures on the life of the Buddha from birth till death, and in this manner, he broke the news to the king(99). This has been cited as a mark of great esteem in which the Buddha was held by King Ajātasatru. But since the accounts are of a much later period, they cannot be taken as authoritative and authentic.
Once Upaka, son of one Mindikā, and a disciple of Devadatta, held a discussion with the Buddha. Then he came to Ajātasatru and spoke ill about the Buddha. This irritated Ajātasatru who asked him to get out(100). The author of the Atthakathā has added that Ajātas'atru asked his men to turn him out by the neck(101). But even this does not establish any more that he was a follower of the Buddha. For, any wise man will do the same to another who violates the code of decent behaviour or indulges in a mean denunciation. Besides, if Upaka knew for certain that Ajātasatru was a follower of the Buddha, he would surely not have gone to him to discuss his own experiences with the Buddha. If still he went to him, he did so knowing fully well that the king was a friend of his own master, Devadatta.
In the later literature, there are on record certain episodes which would support Ajātasátru's deep enmity towards Buddhism. According to the Avadāna -śataka, King Bimbisara erected a stūpa on the nails and hairs of the Buddha even when the latter was alive. The women of the harem worshipped at this stūpa with incences, lamps and flowers. When Ajātasatru ascended the throne, he ordered the worship to be stopped. Srimati, a palace maid, disobeyed the order for which she had to pay dearly with her life(102). According to the Theragāthā Atthakathā, Ajātas atru even tried hard for the execution of his own brother, Silavat(103). These illustrations do not support in any way that Ajātasatru was a follower of Buddhism; rather, they point to the same conclusion that he was its inveterate enemy. But even these evidences may be rejected as not being very substantial.
