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WAR WITH VAIŠALI
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Kasi village in question, for her bath money. Her father could not enjoy the fruits of peace for more than three years. During his absence in a country town, Digha Chārāyaṇa, the Commander-in-Chief, raised prince Vidūdabha to the throne.2 The ex-king set out for Rajagriha, resolved to take Ajataśatru with him and capture Viduḍabha. But he died from exposure outside the gates of the Magadhan metropolis.
The traditional account of the war with Vaiśāli is preserved in part by Jaina writers. King Seniya Bimbisara is said to have given his famous elephant Seyanaga (Sechanaka, the sprinkler), together with a large necklace of eighteen strings of jewels, to his younger sons Halla and Vehalla born from his wife Chellana, the daughter of Raja Cheṭaka of Vaisāli. His eldest son Kuniya (Ajātaśatru), after usurping his father's throne, on the instigation of his wife Paūmāvai (Padmavati), demanded from his younger brothers the return of both gifts. On the latter refusing to give them up and flying with them to their grandfather Cheṭaka in Vaiśāli, Kūņiya, having failed peacefully to obtain the extradition of the fugitives, commenced war with Cheṭaka. According to Buddhaghosha'a commentary the Sumangala-vilasini, the cause of the war was breach of trust on the part of the Lichchhavis in connection with a mine of precious gems or some fragrant
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1 DPPN, II. 172. 2 Bhaddasala Jātaka.
a
3 The appellation Padmavati is of so frequent occurrence in connection with Magadhan royalty that it seems to be an epithet rather than a personal name. The mother of prince Abhaya, a queen of Ajatasatru, and a sister of Darśaka, all have this name according to tradition. Cf. the name Padmini applied to the most commendable type of women. It is also not improbable that the name belongs to the domain of mythology,
4 Uvāsaga-dasão, II, Appendix, p. 7; cf. Tawney, Kathakośa, pp. 176 ff.
5 Burmese Edition, Part II, p. 99. See now B. C. Law, Buddhistic Studies p. 199; DPPN, II. 781.
