________________
KINGS AND RULERS
391
description of king Kūnika's pilgrimage to Mahāvīra is given in the Ovarya.10 It is mentioned that at the time of Kūnika's conception, there arose in Cellană a chronic longing to eat the flesh from her husband's belly. In course of time, when Kūnika was boin, he was cast on a dung-hill as stated above, by the maid-servants of Cellana But when Seniya came to know of this, he got angry and brought the child back.103 In course of time, when Küniya grew up, he wanted to kill his father
and rule over the kingdom himself So he called the ten princes, viz. Kāla, etc and discussed with them the plan to divide the kingdom into eleven parts It is mentioned that one day Kūniya airested his father, and putting him into a prison installed himself on the throne He ordered his servants to give Seniva one hundred lashe, eve.v morning and evening Cellana was not allowed to have any interview with her husband and even food and drink was stopped to him ed to see her husband, she concealed beans ed them with wine and visited Seniya have washed her hairs a hundred times with water which turned into wine, and it is said that owing to the strength given him by the wine, the king was able to endure the whipping
Later, when Cellana was allow(kumm isa) in her hairs, besmearInside the prison she is said to
104
It is said that once when Kuniya went to touch the feet of his mother, she related to him an incident of his childhood, when his little finger was torn off by the tail of a cock, and to cure the intense pain caused by this, his father held this finger in his mouth and sucked its pus and blood 105 When Kuniya heard this he was full of icmoise at the treatment given to his father, and he immediately started with a hatchet in his hand to set his father fiee But, thinking that Kuny a might put him to death by some painful contrivance, Semiya swallowed the poison known as talapuda and died When Kuniya came to know about this sad coincidence, he felt very sad and being unable to endure his sorrow, shifted his capital to Campā 106
10 Su, 6, p 20
108 According to the Jataka, the longing was to drink blood from the right knee of king Binibisara (see the cum on the Digna ID 13f)
104
Nurya 1, Ara cũ, II, p 171 According to the Buddhists, Ajātasatru kept his father in Tapanageha and only his mother was allowed to interview him First she carried food in her hairs, then in her golden sandles Later on, she applied scented water on her body which was licked by the king But this too was stopped Later on, Ajātaśatru ordered his servants to tear off his father's feet and bake them in salt and oil on fire Conse. quently the king died At this time a messenger brought the news of a son's birth Ajätasatru was very much pleased to hear this and ordered to set his father at liberty But he was no more, the com on the Digha I, p 135 ff
According to the Aza cu (II, p 171) once it so happened that when Kūniya was taking his food, his child's urine fell into his dishes, but without taking any notice of it, Kun.ya went on taking his food Afterwards he asked lus mother, who was sitting nearby, "Mother, did anybody ever love his son so much ?" Then his mother narrated him the story of his childhood. Also cf the com on the Digha, I, p. 138 For the Buddhist account of Ajätasatru, see Law's some Ancient Indian kings, Buddhist Studies. pp. 195 ff. 100 Nirya. I; Ava. cu. II, p. 171.
105
