________________ Traditions of the Vaisali Region 195 occurrence. The King sent an army against the defiant son, but it was routed, whereupon he himself took the field and fought his son. In this crisis a 'parivrajaka muni' intervened, ruled that since Nabbaga had become a Vaibya by marriage with a Vaisya (which was voluntary on both sides), the war should stop, for, by the laws of warfare, Ksatriyas fight only with Ksatriyas, and thereby prevented the fatal conflict. Thus the King became reconciled to his son and daughter-in-law and brought them to Court, but Nabhaga persisted in leading the Vaisya life of agriculture and trade; and this was also ultimately ruled by the King's advisers headed by Babhravya-Kausika. The farmer' Nabhaga's son, Bha-Dandana or Bhalandana, exhorted by his mother Suprabba, tried to recover the paternal kingdom with the help of Rajarsi Nipa (probably of Kampilya), then residing in retirement in a Himavat asrama, who gave him necessary arms and military training. Hereafter Bha-nandana went to Vasurata and others, Nabhaga's younger brother's sons, and demanded half the kingdom which they refused to give as he was a Vaisya. He then worsted them in war, wrested the whole kingdom, and offered the two crowns' to his parents. But Nabhaga refused it, giving his reasons in detail. Suprabha howe supported her son, now disclosing that Nabbaga had not really become a Vaisya for she herself was very truly a Ksatriya. Hur story was as follows: King Sudeva (apparently of Kasi, who fought and lost a war with the Vitahavyas, and was father of Divodasa II of Kasi), together with his friend Nala (son of Dhumrasva and apparently a prince of the Vaisali region) visited Amra-vana (Amawan ?) and a lake there, to sport with women and wine. While drunk, Nala caught hold of (Cyavana-Bhargava's descendant) Pramati's wife (a princess as well as a temple dancer, apsara'). Pramati appealed to the inert Sudeva to save her, but he declined, saying he was a Vaisya. Pramati in a fury struck down Nala and cursed Sudeva with expulsion from kingship and degradation to Vaisyahood, relenting subsequently only to the extent that Sudeva could be restored to his original status if a daughter of his were married, by recognised Ksatriya form of marriage, to a Ksatriya prince. Subsequently, Sudeva as a Vaisya farmer became Suprabha's father. The episode was further cleared to Nabhaga in this way: Sudeva, also called Suratha, at first retired from his throne as a 'rajarsi' and resided in an asrama called Gandhamadana. There he met a girl, Sarika, 'dropped' (abandoned) by Vaja-Cancu',-apparently the same as the contemporary Iksvaku prince, Vijaya-Cancu. Overcome with pity
