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THE MAGADHAS
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Dr. Bhandarkar identifies him with Nāga Dāsaka who is represented by the Ceylonese Chronicles as the last king of Bimbisāra's line. The Pāli Canon and Jaina tradition do not warrant us in holding that Darsaka was the immediate successor of Ajātaśatru. The former asserts that Udāyi Bhadda was the son of Ajātaśatru and probably also his successor, and the latter represents Udāyi as the immediate successor of Kūņika Ajātaśatru. The Ceylonese Chronicles 2 also inform us that Udāyi Bhadda succeeded his father Ajātaśatru on the throne, and reigned for 16 years. That Udayabhadda or Udāyibhadda was the son and successor of Ajātaśatru is borne out by the Sāmaññaphala Sutta of the Dīgha Nikāya (I, p. 50), by the Samantapāsādikā (p. 72) and the Sumangalavilāsinī (Vol. 1, pp. 153-4).
Before his accession to the throne, Udāyi Bhadda seems to have acted as his father's Viceroy at Campā.3 The Jaina work Parisistaparvan tells us that it was Udāyin who founded on the bank of the Ganges a new capital which came to be known as Pātaliputra, though the first beginning of a garrison town appears to have been made during the Buddha's lifetime. The Vāyupurāna bears testimony to this fact and says that Udaya built the city of Kusumapura in the fourth year of his reign.4
The successors of Udāyi Bhadda, according to the Purāņas, were Nandivardhana and Mahānandin. The Purāņa account does not tally with the Samantapāsādi kā 5 which tells us that Udāyi Bhadda was succeeded by his son Anuruddha who reigned for 18 years, and was succeeded by his son Muņda who reigned for the same period. Then came Nāga Dāsaka who reigned for 24 years. Nāga Dāsaka was banished by the citizens who anointed the minister, Siśunāga, as king. This was probably because the people had become disgusted with the succession of parricides from Ajātaśatru to Nāga Dāsaka. Śiśunāga reigned for 18 years, and was followed by his son Kālāśoka, who reigned for 28 years. Kālāśoka had ten sons who ruled for 22 years.6
Then came in succession the nine Nandas who took possession of the throne of Magadha and are said to have reigned for 22 years. According to the Purāņas, the founder and first king of the Nanda dynasty was Mahāpadma Nanda, son of Mahānandin by a Sūdra woman. He usurped the throne of Magadha in or about 413 B.C.?
1 Jacobi, Parisista parvan, p. 42. 2 Dipavamsa, V, 97; Mahāvamsa, IV, I. 3 Jacobi, Parišişta parvan, p. 42.
4 Ray Chaudhuri, Political History of Ancient India, 4th Ed., p. 176. Cf. Vincent Smith, Early History of India, 4th Ed., pp. 38-9, and Samantapāsādikā, pp. 72-3 5 Ibid., pp. 72-3..
6 Cf. Dipavamsa, V. 7 Smith, Early History of India, 4th Ed., p. 41.
