Magaddha. The Commentray goes on to say that Bimbisara invited him to share his possessions with him, but could not induce the young prince to accept his proposal. Siddhartha, however, promised to see Bimbisara again after attaining Buddhahood. I have already referred above to Bigandet's "Legends of Burmese Buddha ", in which it is stated that Buddha entered the city by the east gate and returned again by the same gate to the Pandava Mountain. This mountain is known at present as Ratnagiri. "Jet Latthivana. The three Kassapas, Uruvelakassapa, Gayākassapa and Nadikkassapa, with all the ascetics with matted hair in their train, had accepted Buddha's discipleship, and after delivering the famous sermon at Gayāsīsa, known as Adittapariyaya," Tathāgata started for Rajagaha to keep the promise he had made to Bimbisara. With an enormous following he begged his way from village to village till he came to the immediate neighbourhood of Rajagaha and stopped in a palm grove in Latthivana, which still bears the same name, bian" (Skt. yashți-vana). In the Sariputta Moggakanakatha, Mahākhandaka, Vinaya Pitaka, 'the following passage occurs: "Atha kho Bhagavā Gayasise Yathāvirantam viharitva yena Rajagaham tena chārikam pakkami mahatā Bhikhusanghena saddhim Bhikhu sahassam sabbeheva purāna jatilehi. Atha kho Bhagava anupubbena chārikam charamāno yena Rājagaham tadavasari. Tatra sudam Bhagava Rajagahe viharati Latthivane Suppatitthe Chetiye ". This means :-- "After having resided at Gayasisa as long as it pleased him, he went on his round of begging towards Rajagaha, accompanied by a large number of Bhikhus, a thousand Bhikhus, viz., all the old Jatilas ". He arrived, in due course, at Rajagaha, and dwelt there at Suppatittha Chetiya (a bo-tree), in Latthivana. When Bimbisara came to know of his arrival, he had it proclaimed everywhere in the town that the citizens were to go out in a procession to receive Buddha. Orders were also issued for decorating the city. Followed by an immense crowd of people and a well Yashți-vana ' is the Sanskrit form of the Pali "latthi-vana.” appointed retinue, amid the sound of drums and bugles, Bimbisāra went out of the city to meet Buddha. After going as much of the way as was pract cable for chariots, he went on foot and presenting himself before Buddha, saluted him, and sat down on one side. Then followed one of Buddha's rousing sermons, at the end of which Bimbisära invited him to take his meal, next day, at the palace. This was the first public recognition of Buddha. His entry into the city, was a triumphal procession. The Mahāvastu has given a vivid and full description of the reception of Buddha by Bimbhisara at the head of the citizens 1:"Bho bhane amatya, Bhagavato Budhhasya pratyudgamanam gamishyāmi, Rājagriham alank ārā pehi, bhadrāni cha yānāni yojāpehi, sarbehi cha Rajagrihakehi Brahmanagrihapatikehi, sarvehi cha silpāyatanehi, sarvehi cha śrenihi, maya saha Bhagavato Buddhasya pratyudgamanam gantabyanti. ("O Minister, I shall go out for receiving the Lord Buddha. Decorate Rajagriha, and get ready decent chariots. All the Brahmans and householders of Rajagriha, artists and guilds are to go with me to receive Lord Buddha.") Again "Atha khalu rājā Śrenyo Bimbisāra bhadrāni yānani abhiruhit va Magadhakehi Brahamaṇa-gṛhapatikehi sārdham dvādasehi nayutehi samparibrito mahatā rājaridhiya janakāyasya hakkarahikkāra-bheri-ḍamaru-paṭaha-sankhasamninādena Rajagṛhato nagarato niryātvā yena antagirismi Yashthivanamudyānam tena prayāsi. Atha khalu rāja Śrenyo Bimbisāra, yānato pratyaruhya padasă yeva yena Bhagvan stenopasamkamitva Bhagavataspadan sirasa vanditvā ekante nishidet. " This means "Then Rājā Sreniyo Bimbisāra, entirely surrounded by twelve-ninety Brahmans and householders of Mag adha, drove out of Rajagaha mounted on noble chariots and with all the pomp and circumstance of a great royal progression, in the midst of a tumultous uproar made by the great crowd and the collective sound of bheris, mridangas, ḍamarus, patahas, and sankhas and made for Yasṭhivana, which lay in the interior of the mountains. Then Rājā Bimbisāra, after having : 1 Mahāvastu, Volume III, pages 441-443 (new Paris Edition). gone as far as the ground was practicable for chariots, dismounted from his chariot, proceeded on foot to the place where the Lord was, touched the Lord's feet with his head and sat down on one side. " The sermon delivered by Buddha on this occasion aroused great enthusiasm. The King, among others, being forthwith converted, took refuge in Buddha, Sangha, and Dharm, and invited the Master to breakfast at the palace. The invitation was accepted in silence, and the next day he entered Rajagaha with one thousand monks. The devout imagination of Buddha's followers has clothed the progress through the city in a beautiful legend, which is related in the Sariputta Moggalānakathā, Mahākhandaka of the Vinayapitaka: "Atha kho Bhagavā pubbanhasamayam nivāsetvā pattachīvaram ādāya Rājagaham pavisi mahatā Bhikkhusamghena saddhim, Bhikkhusahassena, sabbeheva purāṇa-jatilehi. Tena kho pana samayena Sakko Devānāmindo mānavaka-vaṇṇam abhinimmi-nitvā, Buddhapamukhassa Bhikkhusamghassa purato purato gacchati imagāthāyo gayamano." This means "The Lord put on his robes and took his bowl in the forenoon and entered Rajagaha with a large congregation of Bhukkhus, a thousand Bhikkhus including all those who had been formerly ascetics with matted hair. At that time Sakka, the Lord of the Devas, taking the form of a boy proceded the monks with Buddha at their head, and sang this song, etc.". The citizens were profoundly impressed by the prepossessing appearance of the child and were asking one another as to whom the child belonged, when Sakka sang another gāthā, disclosing to them his identity and saying that he was a servitor of Sugata (Buddha)! Kalandaka-Nivapa in Veluvana.-This was the first fixed place of residence for Buddha and his disciples. At the end of the meal in the King's palace, to which reference has been made above, Bimbisära made over Veluvana to Buddha with a solemn ceremony: 1" Atha kho Rājā Māgadho Senio Bimbisāra sovannamayam bhinkāram gahetvä Bhagavato onojesi, etäham bhante ! Vinaya Pitaka, Vol. I, page 39 (Cldenberg). Veluvanam uyyanam Buddhapamukhassa Bhikkhusamghassa dammiti": " Patiggahesi Bhagavā arāmam". This means:"And then Seniyo Bimbisāra, King of the people of Magadha, took a golden water jug and addressed Buddha thus,' Reverend sir, I offer the Veluvana garden to the brotherhood of monks with Buddha at their head." "The Lord accepted the garden." Kalandaka-Nivapa means the place where squirrels used to come for their food. Kalandaka means squirrel and navāpa, grains or cereals used for food. Veluvana was one of the most favourite places of residence of Buddha. A very large number of sermons were delivered there and many rules of Vinaya were laid down in Veluvana Vihāra. Kings, princes, ministers, wealthy merchants and ordinary householders were received here in audience by Buddha, and streams of men and women with offerings of garlands came to the Vihara in the evening to listen to the religious discourses of Buddha and his famous disciples. It is clear from the Pali records that Veluvana Vihāra was at a short distance from the north gate of the city and this is corroborated by Fa Hian's statement that i was only three hundred paces from the north gate of Rajagriha. ing Tapodarama. In the Sanyutta Nikaya, we have the follow : "Ekam samayam Bhagavā Rājagahe viharati Tapodārāme. Atha kho āyasmā Samiddhi rattiyā pachchusasamayam pachchuṭṭhāya yena Tapodā-tena upasankami, gātraṇām parisinchitum." It means:-" Once upon a time, the Lord was residing in Tapodarama at Rājagaha. It so happened that the reverend Samiddhi went at dawn to the place where Tapoda was, for the purpose of bathing. This ārama or garden was on the river Tapoda and hence it was named Tapodārāma. Tapoda was very near Veluvana as the following incident indicates: 1" Tena Samayena Buddha Bhagavā Rājagahe viharati Veluvane Kalandaka-Nivāpe. Tena kho pana samayena Rājā Māgadho Seniyo Bimbisãro sisam nhāyissämiti, Tapodam gantvā, yāvā ayyā nhāyantīti ekamantam patināmesi. Bhikkhu yāvā samandhkārā nhāyimsu. Atha kho 1 Vinaya, Vol. IV, pages 16-17 (Oldenberg). Rājā Magadho Seniyo Bimbisāra vikāle sīsam nhāyitvā nagaradvare thakkite bahinagare vasitvā kālassa eva, asambhinnena vilepanena yena Bhagavā tena upasankamitvā Bhagavanantam abhivādetvā ekamantam nisidi." This means:-" Lord Buddha was then staying at Kalanadaka Nivāpā in Veluvana. At that time, Seniya Bimbisāra, Rājā of Magadha repaired to Tapoda to *bathe his head, and respectfully waited aside as long as the Aryas (Bhikkhus) continued bathing. The Bhikkhus continued to bathe till dark. Seniya Bimbisāra, King of Magadha, bathed his head at a late hour, and finding the city gate closed, stopped outside the city, and when the right time arrived, with his body anointed all over, went to the place where the Lord was, and having saluted him, sat down on one side. " It is clear from these extracts that the Tapoda river was not far from the city gate and that Veluvana was close to the river. Moggalāna once spoke about Tapodā thus :—†" Yat yam āvuso Tapodā sandati so daho achchhodako, sītodako, sātodako, setodako, supatittho, ramaniyo, pahutamachchhakacchapo, chakkamattāni cha padumāni cha pupphanti, atha cha panayam Tapoda kuṭhṭhita sandatiti." This means :- "Oh friends, Tapoda, which is flowing by, is deep, transparent, cool, tranquil, bright-watered, with good landing places, full of fish and tortoise, and has circular lotuses in bloom, but Tapoda flows shrinkingly." Moggalana was a mystic and sometimes talked in a way which his brother Bhikkhus could not understand and to which they, at times, took serious objection. They complained to the Master that Moggalāna was wrong in saying that Tapoda was flowing shrinkingly.' Buddha explained to them that as Tapoda flowed through two great hells", Moggalana characterized its flow as shrinking' or painful. This reference to two "great hells" is significant, as there are hot-springs on both sides of the river now known as Saraswati. Hot springs were supposed to be connected with the lake Anotatta and it was believed that the water was * Bathing the head means taking a complete bath. Vinaya, Vol. III, page 108 (Oldenberg). Topada itself signifies one of hot-waters'.-Ed. |