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MAY, 1903.]
HINDU VIEW OF BUDDHIST CHRONOLOGY.
231
Asoka I., the Nanda.
Owing to some misconception, most scholars have been led to the denial of two Abokas,— one of the Nanda, and the other of the Maurya, Dynasty. The Aśôka, better known as Kálásóka, the black Aśoka, whose spiritual guide was Upagupta, and who held the Vaisâli Council in about 100 A. B., under Ratha, cannot be the same person, who was crowned in A. B. 218, and who convened the third Buddhistic Council at Pâtaliputra in 235, under Tissa Mogaliputra, the patriarch, whose date is given from 176 to 244 A. B. Asoka is expressly said to be the son of Sisunaga, who was elected king of Magadha by the nobles of Pâtaliputra, and was called the immediate predecessor of the Nandas.11 This ancient chronicle records, that in the 11th year of Kâlâsoka's reign, and in the 12th of the interregnum of Ceylon, Saunaka, the third patriarch of the Buddhistic church, was 40 years old after his initiation as priest, when Siggava received upasampadá (ordination). Now, calculating from 16 A. B., the 24th of Ajâtasatru's reign, when Dâsaka was initiated into the order, who, in his turn, initiated Saunaka in his 45th year, we get 16 +44 + 40, the number of years elapsed after the upasampadá of the latter, 100 A. B., which was the 11th of Kâlâśôka's reign. Again, adding up the number of reigns of the Ceylon kings up to the 11th year of the interregnum, we get 38 + 1 +30 +20 +11= 100 years. And calculating the Mâgadha reigns from the 8th of Ajàtasatru, we get 24+ 16 +8 +24+18+10= 100 years after the death of the Buddha, when the Vaisâli Council was held.12
Chandragupta, the Maurya.
The next important point to determine is, the date of Chandragupta, the founder of the Maurya dynasty. Of him four independent dates are known: (1) the Brahmanical; the Puranas state that he ascended the throne of Magadha 100 years after the accession of the first Nanda. (2) the Jaina ;-from their chronicles we find that he exterminated the Nanda dynasty 155 years after the death of Mahavira, which happened in 527 B. C. (3) Bhadravahu (156 170 A. V. 371 B. C.) was Chandragupta's Guru, and the 8th Sûri patriarch of the Jaina church, whose disciple and successor, Sthulabhadra (170-219 A. V. 357-308 B. C.), was the son of Sâkatala. Sâkatâla was the minister of the ninth Nanda (Dhana Nanda); an important synchronism, which has hitherto escaped the notice of scholars. These facts fix the inauguration of Chandragupta's reign in about 872 B. C. (4) From the Buddhistic sources we learn that in 163 A. B. (380 B. C.) Chandragupta acceded to the throne of Pâtaliputra. There is here a difference of only 8 years (380 minus 372 B. C.), a matter of no importance, which, instead of invalidating, rather strengthens the finding that the truth appears to lie between the two dates. But since the dates of the Magadha kings are given consecutively in the Buddhistic chronicles, and but fragmentarily in the Jaina, 380 B. C. appears to be the more reliable date for Chandragupta, the founder of the Maurya dynasty.
In the Dipavansa,13 it will be observed that the 2nd year of Chandragupta's reign was the 58th of Pakundaka's of Ceylon, when Tissa, the son of Môgali, was initiated by Siggava in the 64th year after the latter's upasampada. The same fact is repeated on the very next page, so that there is no doubt as to any clerical or traditional mistake, especially so, when it is added that Siggava, the Sthâvira, the head of the Buddhistic church; died in the 14th year of Chandragupta's reign, when he was 76 years old, that is, 12 years after Tissa's upasanpada. Calculating as in the case of Asôka I., by referring to the Tables, we find that the 2nd year of Chandragupta was 164 A. B. = (24+16+8+24+18+28+22+22 + 2 Magadha regnal dates) = (38 +1+30 +20 +17+ 58 Ceylon regnal dates) = (16+44 +40 + 64 patriarchal years of Vinaya Chiefship). Thus the year 163 A. B. as the year of the accession of the founder of the Maurya dynasty to the throne of Pâtaliputra is established beyond the possibility of a doubt, which cannot on any theory be reduced.
11 See Chap. V., Dipavansa. 12 See the Chronological Tables given above. 18 Trans. by Prof. Oldenberg, p. 143.
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