Indian Antiquary Vol 45

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 84

76
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
MISCELLANEA.
SOME LITERARY REFERENCES TO THE ISIPATANA MIGADAYA (SARNATH.) THE Isipatana Migadâya' derives its importance from the fact that it was here that the Buddha preached his first sermon, the Dhammachakkappavattana Sulta, advocating abstention from the extremes of luxury and asceticism, setting forth the doctrine of the Four Noble Truths (AriyaSachcha), and exhorting his auditors the Pancha. vaggiya to pursue the Ariya Aṭṭhangika Magga.
The locus classicus is in the Vinaya-Pitaka (Ed. Oldenberg) Maharanga I. 6-10 Seq. SamyuttaNikaya (P. T. S.) 5 pp. 420-22.2
The place is also the scene of the conversion of Yasa, son of a merchant of Benares. The interesting story concerning him and his family is given, in detail, in the Mahavagga (Vinaya Text 3). p. 15. The Legend of the Burmese Buddha gives the same story with slight alterations in names, e. g., there we find Ratha in place of Yasa. Bâranathi for Bârânasi, Migaduvana for Migadaya. [Note the usual phrase-tatra suta bhagavi Barinasiya viharati Isipatane Migadaye.] It was in Isipatana that the Buddha recounted the Udapanadasaka-Jataka (II. 354)
commentary
[APRIL, 1916
on the
to this very fact that the expression Kheme Migadaye was used. Gautama Buddha and the other Buddhas first of all alighted there while going through the air to preach the Sacred Faith.)
The scene of the 9th Vatthu of the XVIth Vagga of the Dhammapada (Nandiya-vatthu) is laid here. Having heard the teaching of the Buddha, he thought that it would be meritorious to give some dwelling-place to the Order, so he caused to be constructed a Chatussâlâ adorned with four rooms and furnished with chairs and benches, and then handed it over to the Order with the Buddha at its head. This was situated in the IsipatanaMahavihara.
name.
his
The Maharastu tells us that the Suddhivin Devas warned the Pratycka-Buddhas to vanish; for in twelve years the Bodhisattva would descend upon the earth. At half a yojana from Benares. were living five hundred Pratyeka-Buddhas; rismg in the air, they entered into Nirvana, and their bodies consumed by the elements of fire. which they had in them, fell back upon the earth: Rishayos-tra patita ishipatana, A story resembl ing the Nigrotha-miga-jataka then follows. Here the king is the rul of Benares-Brahmadatta by Buddhaghosha in From the grant of the boon (daya) made Mahapadana-Sutta says: Dhammachukkapparatta- to the deer, the spot was called Mrigadaya. This is the view na Isipatane Migadaye avijahita eva hoti. (It held by Senart in his notes to was in the Deer Park of Isipatana that Dharmawhich I propose to offer the following emendation. chakrapra vartana was named). In another part of To me it appears that very early the site of the same commentary, we read: Kheme Miyadaye Isipataua was called Mrigadáva (dáva meaning ti-Isipatana forest) from the fact that it was full of the tena samayena khema nama uyyana hoti. Migana pana abhayava sutthaya cleor. Afterwards, however, when all places associated with the Buddha's life used to be the dinnatta Migadayo ti vuchchati. Ta Sandhaya vultam Kheme Migudâye' ti. Yatha cha Vipassi favourite scenes of thousands of Buddhistic fables, Bhagavi eva aññepi Buddha pathamam DhammaIsipatana had likewise the story recorded in the desana haya gachchhantâ akâsena gantva tattheva Mahavastu. It then came to be known as otaranti.3 (In explaining the expression Kheme Mrigadaya instead of Mrigadáva. Since then, Migadaye the commentator says: "Isipatana was, very probably the word daya in the original sense at that time, known to be the Khema or the of forest' has become obsolete and the prâkritised auspicious garden. It was called Migadaya, beword daya, both meaning boon and forest' has cause it was granted in order that the deer might come into current use in all Pâli works. dwell there in all safety. It was in reference
BRINDAVAN C. BHATTACHARYA.
The modern Sârnath.
2 Compare in this connexion, Buddhist Birth Stories: The Pali Introduction P. 112 and Legend of the Burmese Buddha p. 117 Seq.
3 It adds that the Buddha for a special reason went on foot to that place.
4 Cf. Buddha by Dr. H. Oldenberg, p. 120 foot note. Buddhas is discussed in brief in "Apadana" folki of the Phayre MSS. The great antiquity of the Pratyeka
For etymology cf. Senart's view" En dépit de cette étymologie, les deux orthographes du mot. familières in notre texte, sont, non pas ऋषिपतन mais on ऋषिपत्तन (ci-dessous ), p. 366, 18 पहन )
on J' ai don né la préférence à cette seconde forme" (ordinaire aussi daus les gâthâs du Lal. Vist) "-Le Mahavastu Ed. by Senart Vol. I, p. 631.