Jain Journal 1969 01

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 16

AJATASATRU KUNIKA
(in the light of Jaina Agamas and Buddhist Tripitakas)
-from the previous issue
MUNI NAGRAJ
His mother
Both traditions give different names for Kunika's mother. According to the Jātakas, Kosala Devi was the daughter of Mahakosala, and the sister of Prasenajita, the king of Kosala.82 On the occasion of her marriage a village from the Kasi State was given as a dowry. After Bimbisara's murder, Prasenajita took back that village. There was a war and after the initial reverse Prasenajita was victorious. Taking pity on Ajatasatru who was his sister's son, he spared him alive, concluded a treaty, gave his own daughter Vajira to him in marriage and returned the same village in dowry.3
33
In Samyutta Nikaya Ajatasatru has been mentioned as a son of Prasenajita's sister and also as 'videhiputta'.34 These names do not reconcile with each other. Here Buddhaghosa has taken the meaning of 'videhi' as panditā35 and not as the 'princess of Videha kingdom'. The fact is that Cellana (mentioned in the Jaina tradition), being a daughter of Cetaka, the chief of Vaisali Republic, was a videhi. Prasenajita's sister Kosala Devi could be a step-mother of Ajatasatru. According to the Tibetan tradition, 36 and the Amitayurdhyāna Sutta,37 the name of Ajatasatru's mother was Videhi Vasavi as she was a princess of the Videha State. 38 This interpretation of the use of the word 'videha' is to be found in abundance elsewhere too. Thus Lord Mahavira has been called videhe, videhadinne, videhajachche.39 Since Lord Mahavira was born in Videha, he was called videhi ; as his mother was a princess of the
83 Jataka, edited by Fausball, Vol. III, p. 121.
33 Jataka Atthakatha, No. 249, 283.
34 Samyutta Nikaya, 3, 2, 4.
35 vedehiputtoti vedehiti panditadhivacanam etam pandittitthiyaputto ti atho. --Sanyuttanikaya Atthakatha, Vol. 1, p. 120.
36 Rockhill, Life of Buddha, p. 63.
87 S. B. E. Vol. XLIX, p. 166.
38 Rockhill, Life of Buddha, p. 63. ** Kalpa Sutra, 110.