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THE MAGADHAS
231 Rājagrha. Cunningham identifies the ancient site with the modern village of Baragaon which lies at the northern end of the precincts of the Nālandā Mahāvihāra. The Pāli texts, however, refer not so much to Nālandā itself as to Pāvārika's mango-grove in its vicinity, as the real place of importance both to the Buddhists and the Jainas.2 According to the tradition recorded by Hsüan Tsang, in a Mango Wood to the south of this monastery was a tank the dragon of which was called Nālandā, and the name was given to the monastery. But the facts of the case were that Ju-lai (Buddha) as a P'usa (Bodhisattva) had once been a king with his capital here, that as king he had been honoured by the epithet Nālandā or 'Insatiable in giving' on account of his kindness and liberality, and that this epithet was given as its name to this monastery'. The grounds of the establishment were originally a mango park bought by 500 merchants for ten kotis of gold coins and presented by them to the Buddha.3
Nālandā was often visited by the Buddha.4 Mahākassapa, who was at first a follower of a heretical teacher, met the Buddha for the first time while he was seated on the road between Rājagrha and Nālandā. He declared himself a follower of the Buddha. The Majjhima Nikāya tells us that once Nigantha Nātaputta was at Nālandā with a large retinue of his followers. A Jaina named Dīghatapassī went to the Buddha, who was in the Pāvārika ambavana at Nālandā, and the Buddha converted many of Mahāvīra's followers. In the Jaina Sūtras we read that there was at Nālandā a householder named Lepa who was rich and prosperous. Lepa had a beautiful bathing hall containing many hundreds of pillars. ere was a park called Hastiyāma. Once Gautama Buddha lived at Nālandā. He had a discussion with Udaka, a nigantha and follower of Pārsva, who failed to accept Gautama's views as to the effect of karma.? It was at Nālandā that Mahāvīra spent the second year of his asceticism, and here, too, that he found many rich supporters. The Kalpa-sūtra (p. 122) informs us that Mahāvīra spent as many as fourteen rainy seasons at Rājagrha and Nālandā.
According to Tibetan accounts, the quarter in which the Nālandā University, with its grand library, was located, was called Dharmagañja (Piety Mart). It consisted of three grand buildings called
1 Sumangalavilasini, III, p. 873; I, p. 35: Rajagahato pama Nalanda yojanam eva.
9 Majjhima Nikaya, I, p. 37I.
3 Watters, On Yuan Chwang, II, p. 164. |4 See, e.g. Dīgha Nikāya, I, pp. Iff., 211; ibid., II, pp. 81-4; Samyutta Nikāya, IV, p. 110, 311ff., 314-7.
5 Samyutta Nikāya, II, pp. 219ff. 6 Majjhima Nikāya, I, pp. 37iff.
7 S.B.E., II, pp. 419-20.
