________________
158.
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[ MAY, 1921
In महावग्ग of the विनय पिटक, the following passage occurs :
" अथ खो उहवेल कस्सपस्स जटिलस्स एतद् भहोसि:-एतरह खो मे महाजमी पशुपहितो केवलकप्पा च अंगमागधा पहूतं खादनियं भोजनिबं भावाब अभिकमिस्सन्तिः सचे.महासमणी महाजनकाये इद्धि पाटिहारियं करिस्सति महासमण्णस्स लाभसकारी भभिवडिस्सति, मम लाभसकारी परिहाविस्सति । अथ नन महासमणी स्वातनाय नागच्छेब्बति । अथ खो भगवा उरुवेल कस्सपस्स जटिलस्स चेतसा तो परिवितकं
अनाव उत्तरकुरु गन्त्वा ततो पिण्डपातंभाहरित्वा भनोततवहे परिभूश्वित्वा तत्य एव विवाविहारं अकासि ।" • [Uruvela-Kassapa, (who was celebrating a great vedic sacrifice), the man with matted hair, thought like this: 'My great sacrifice is going to be performed, and all the people froin Anga and Magadha are coming with large quantities of food of various kinds. If the great समण (Buddha) shows them miracles, he will rise in their esteem and great also will be his gain, and, correspondingly, I shall lose their esteem and fail to receive offerings from them. So the great T should not certainly come here tomorrow. In the meanwhile, the Lord came to know the working of the mind of Uruvela-Kassapa through his own mind and repaired to Uttara-Kuru where he received alms-offerings, took his food by the side of Anotata-daha and passed the day there.]
Buddha's passage to Uttara-Kuru in the course of a night was, of course, a miracle, and so was his return to Uruvela. Such miraculous translation to Uttara-kuru is mentioned about Buddha's disciples as well :- भिखाचारवेलायां केचि उत्तरतरं गच्छन्ति. [Some of them would go to ar during the time of alms-begging.)
In the मिलिन्दपनहs the royal city of सागल is described as comparable to उत्तरकुरू (उत्तरकुरु संकासं संपन्नमस्स) in its fertile fields.
In the विधुर पण्डितजातक, we find the following passage : पुरतो विवेहे पस्स गोवानियेच पच्छतो कुरुयो जम्बुदीपञ्च माणम्हि पस्स निम्मितं ।
The note which follows explains, "विदेहे ति पुश्वविदेहं; गोवानिये सि अपरगोयानिदीपं कुरुय ति उत्तरकुरूच दक्षिणतो जम्दीपन." . From the way in which the relative positions of उत्तरकुरु and जम्बुदीप are mentioned, it is clear that the latter was supposed to be situated to the south of the former.
It should also be noted that the word en is used here in the plural and so is also the word t. It was usual to call the countries after the people who lived in them उत्तरकरु means the land of the Uttara-Kurus, and करुयो, the land of the Kurus.
In a passage which I am quoting below, the inhabitants of 9 are mentioned as मनुस्सा or men :
तीहि भिकखवे ठानेहि उत्तरकुरुका मनुस्सा देवे च सावर्तिसे अधिगहन्ति जम्बुवीपके च मनुस्से । कसमेहि सीहि?
भममा च अपरिग्गहा निबताएका बिसेसभुनी।
[ There are three things in which the men of Uttara-Kuru and the gods of arfe excel the men of Jambudipa.
What are the three ? They are free from attachment, take no gifts, live eternally and feed on special food.]
We can safely conclude from the passages quoted above that a , though rapidly growing legendary, was yet known as a Janapada or country, lying to the north of जयुद्धीप, and inhabited by men far superior to the people of जमडीप, morally as well as physically. .
3 Vin., Mahavag., I, 19. Oldenberg. •मिलिन्दपमह, Burm., p. 2.
जातक, (Rausboll), V, 316. • Ang. Nik, IV, 306 (P.T.S.).
