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TRIBES IN ANCIENT INDIA
Views and Practices All our information about the views and practices of the Licchavis is derived from Buddhist books, and to a smaller extent from Jaina works. From these we learn that the Licchayis, though vigorous, martial, and highly prosperous, were at the same time of a strongly religious bent of mind. Both Jainism and Buddhism found many followers among them. Even before the advent of the two new forms of religion, the Licchavis, or to call them by their wider designation, the Vajjis, appear to have been imbued with a strong religious spirit. The Vajjis appear to have had numerous shrines in their town as well as in the country. Even after Jainism and Buddhism had obtained a strong hold on the Licchavis of Vaiśāli, the great body of the people of the Vajji country as well as of the capital remained staunch followers of their ancient faith, the principal feature of which was Caitya worship, although they had due respect for the Jaina or Buddhist sages who wandered over their country preaching the message delivered by their respective teachers. The Mahāparinibbāna Suttanta tells us what the Buddha told Vassakāra, the prime minister (mahāmātra) of Magadha, when the latter was sent by Ajātasatru to learn from the Buddha what he would predict with regard to the king's daring plan of exterminating the Vajjis. The Buddha said: 'So long as the Vajjians honour and esteem and revere and respect and support the Vajjian shrines 1 in town or country, and allow not the proper offerings and rites, as formerly given and performed, to fall into desuetude, so long as the rightful protection, defence and support shall be fully provided for the Arahants among them .... so long may the Vajjians be expected not to decline but to prosper. ? This was said by the Buddha on the eve of his last departure for Vaisāli. Buddhaghosa in his commentary, the Sumangalavilāsinī, also informs us that the Licchavis observed their old religious rites. We must here bear in mind the fact that Buddhism at the early stage of which we are speaking was a form of faith for ascetics only, not a religious creed for all people. The Buddhists at this period formed only one of the numerous ascetic sects of Northern India; thus there was nothing unusual in the fact that many of the
1 The word in the text is 'Cetiyāni'. T. W. Rhys Davids' translation seems to be too exclusive for, as Kern points out, the name Cetiya was applied not only to shrines, but also to sacred trees, memorial stones, holy spots, images, religious inscriptions (Manual of Indian Buddhism, p. 91. See also B. C. Law, Geography of Early Buddhism, pp. 79-80).
2 T. W. and C. A. F. Rhys Davids, Dialogues of the Buddha, Pt. II, p. 80. 3 Sumangalavilāsinī (P.T.S.), II, pp. 517-8.
