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LIFE IN ANCIENT INDIA
joined the order under Aritthanemi. It is said that in course of time, the prophecy came to be true Kanha and Bala together with Rohini, Devai and their father, Vasudeva, went to a place of safety After some time Kanha was shot dead by the arrow of Jarākumāra.98 Karakandu (see Dadhivāhana) Kunāla
Kunāla is described as the son of Asoga The city of Ujjeni was given to him as viceroyalty (kumārabhuttı). It is said that, when prince Kunāla was a little more than eight years, king Asoga scnt a message asking the prince to commence his studies (adı īyatām kumiirah) But as the luck would have it, Kunāla's stop-mother put a dot on "a" which changed "adhīyatām" into "andhīyalām," and now the message was changed into let the piince be made blind" (andhīyatan kumiral) Atter pcrusing the Ictter, Kunāla thought that the royal commands (iom thc Mlaurya dynasty inust not be disobeyed and he stoutly put out his cyesight with a red hot iron rod and he lost his sight for cici il is mentioned thatin course of time, the blind Kurala cin tl.c coui. o Asoga, disguised as a minstrel and gave a musical perlormance fiom behind the curtain Asoga was very pleased and promised Kunāla to give him anything that he might ask for Kurāla begged for a kikani which in the Ksati ya language denoted ihc sovcicignty of the kingdom Later on, when Kunāla s identity was disclosed i the king, he questioned him as to what he would do with it as lie was unfit to carry on the work of government. Thereupon Kunāla replıcd that a son was boin to him only recently (sampai) and it was for him that he wanted kingdom Asoga granted him his request ®
Künika
Kūn:ka, also known as Asokacaril, Vajiv:dehapulla oi Videhaputta, was the son oskıng Scniya by Cellweb It is said that when Kūdika was born, he was cast on a dung-hill outside the city, where his little finger (kānanguli) was wounded by thc tail of a cock and since then he came to be known as Kūnika
According to another tradition, after his bith Kūnika was cast in a garden namcd asogavaniyā which became illuminated and hence Kūnika came to be known as Asogavanacanda or Asogacanda 100 The third epithet of Kūnika was Videhaputta. He was so called because his mother Cellană belonged to the country of Videha.101 A detailed
93 Ibid P 37 ft, for the Buddhist tradition, sce Ghata Jataka , also P B I. p. 23 03 Brh Bhā Pi 292 ff, 1 3275 , Nisi cú ,p 437, 5, 87 (MSS) For Buddhist tradition,
see Law, G Essays, p. 41f 100 đua. cũ, II, p. 166
Bhag. Ít 79, The Buddist Nikāyas also call Ajātasatru by the name of Vedehiputta. Buddhaghosa, however, resolves "vedehr" into veda-sha, vedana thats or intellectual effort (The com, on the Digha. I P. 139).
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