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118
TULSI-PRNAJA
The questions which crop up from this discussion are as follows :
(a) Whether Şvetavika and Şveta vya were the same ? (b) Who was the king of Şrāvasti, Jitaśatru or Pasenadi ? (c) Whether Pradeśa and Pâyäsi were the same 2, and (d) Who were Citta and Khatta ?
We would examine these questions one by one. It may be noted that the commentary on the Buddhavamsa tells us of another Svetavyà situated in the Janapada of Kaś which most probably, was the venue of Pāyasi's discourse with Kaśyapa. Though Kasi was one of the sixteen mahajanapadas of the Buddhist India, but, for most of the time, it remained under Kosala or Magadha. As it is admitted by the sutta itself that Payasi was a chieftain of Svetayā under king Pasenadi of þrāvasti, it needs no evidence to opine that it was this svetavya of Kasi where the discussion would have taken place, for Şvetavya of Kosala being very near to Şravasti, the question of the appointment of a chieftain to rule over Şvetavya does not arise,
According to Rāyapasenaijja, Şravastī was under Şvetavikā But to say that Şrāvasti had ever been under Kaši or any other mahajanapadas of the time even for a short period lacks historical evidence. The information about the subjugation of Sravasti to Svetavikā seems to be a factual error, Therefore it may be opined that if the discourse between Pradeśi and Kesi ever took place, it would have also taken place at Şvetavika of Kaśi. Thus it is remarkable to note that both Pradesi and Pāyasi had a common venue, i.e. Şvetavikā or Svetovyā of Kaśí for their debate with Keśi and Kaśyapa respectively."
The next question wbich confronts us most strinkingly is the name of Jitasatru as the king of Srāvasti at the time when the Rayapasenaijja was composed. We know of no king of the name of Jatasatru who ever ruled over Kosala or Kunala country. In this respect it may be noted that the Prakrit Proper Names: compiles from the different Prakrit texts as many as forty-two kings of the name of Jitasatru who are said to have ruled over one region or the other of Bbāratavarşa. Muni Nagarajji' opines that king Pasenadi is named as Jitaśatru in the Jaina Tradition which in absence of any concrete evidence, is nothing more than a conjecture Evidently it is customary with the compliers or writers of Prakrit texts to name the king of a region or place, out of ignorance or negligence, as Jitaśatru.
Who were Pradesi and Payasi ?, is also an important question to be discussed and disposed of. Some scholars hold that Pradeśi was no otber than the famous king of Srävasti, i.e. Pasendi himself. But it does not appear to be in agreement with the history of Kosala and Pasenadi. Pradeśl, as the Raya pasenaijja informs, was not the king
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