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Political Conditions and Institutions
third wife was Vaidehi Vasavi. His fourth wife was Khemā, daughter of the king of Madra (Central Punjab).
Not content with these matrimonial alliances, Bimbisāra embarked upon his career of conquest and aggrandisement. His father was defeated by Brahmadatta, king of Anga. It was probably to avenge this defeat that Bimbisara led a compaign against Anga. He was completely successful and enlarged Magadha by conquering and annexing this powerful and prosperous kingdom. He appointed his son Kūņika as the Governor at Champa. According to Jaina legend, Pradyota of Avanti set out to attack Rājagriha even during the lifetime of Bimbisāra but he was foiled in his attempt by the cunning art of Prince Abhaya.1 Bimbisära is known to have friendly relations with Pradyota and with Pushkarasārin, king of Gandhara. When the king of Avanti was suffering from jaundice, he sent his own physician Jivaka.
According to Buddhist traditions, Bimbisāra lost his life at the hands of his son Ajātaśatru who was incited to the crime by Devadatta. But Jaina tradition is more charitable to Ajātaśatru. It does not represent him as a parricide. It relates that in his eagerness for the throne, he put his father in prison, but Bimbisāra took poison and killed himself.
Ajātaśatru added largely to the extent of the kingdom by his conquests. He started with a war against Kosala because Prasenajit revoked his gift of the Kāśī village after the death of the Kosalan princess. Ajātaśatru was defeated and had to surrender himself to Prasenjit along with his army. In the end, peace was concluded between the two by Prasenjit restoring to Ajataśatru his liberty, army, and the disputed village of Kasi and even giving his daughter Vajira in marriage to him.
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The Jaina texts present Ajātaśatru as the conqueror of the powerful political confederacy which dominated Eastern India at that time and comprised thirtysix republican statesnine Mallaki, nine Lichhhavis, and eighteen Ganarajyas of Kašt and Kosala. The overthrow of this confederacy resulted from
ABORI. 1920-21. 3.
1.
2. Bhag. 300.
