________________
493
Throughout the Buddhist accounts, Abhayakumara has been consistently called 'Abhayarajkumāra'. According to this tradition, he was born as a son to Bimbisāra from his concubine Padmavati who hailed from Ujjain (162). Bimbisāra heard stories about the beauty of this woman and was attracted towards her. He consulted his priest who propitiated a Yakşa named Kumbhira to help his king. The Yakşa appeared and carried Bimbisāra to Ujjain. At Ujjain, Bimbisāra established contact with Padmavati. From the time of his birth, Prince Abhaya lived for seven years with his mother at Ujjain. After that, he came to Rajagrha and was brought up with other princes (163).
It is difficult to say anything about the mother of Abhayakumāra. On this, the two accounts widely differ. The Jaina sources on this are the Agamic texts, while the Buddhist sources are the Atthakathas. The apnear. ance of the Yaksa and his carrying Bimbisāra to Ujjain are no more than fictions.
Habits and Personality
The Buddhist tradition does not depict Abhayakumara as anything more than an ordinary prince. At the most, he has been pres ented as an expert charioteer(164). In contrast, a Jaina text depicts him as follows:
"Abhayakumāra, son of King Sreņika and born of Queen Nanda was not a man of mean origin. He was handsome, expert in the four principles of statecraft, viz., sāma, dāna, bheda and danga, and he was expert in matters of commercial policy. He was versed in ihā, apoha, märganā, gaveşaņā and arthaśāstra. He was endowed with four kinds of intellect, viz., autpåtiki, Vaināyiki, kār miki and Pārināmiki. In the discharge of many of his royal duties, in the matters concerning the harem affairs, in secret and confidential discussions, in diplomacy, he was worthy to be taken into confidence once, and again and again. For all people, he was like the 'medhi', the pole round which bullocks move in threshing grains. For them, he was the authority, the basis, the support, the very eye
