English
The last of these kings was Okkaka the second ; after whom, of the same lineage, were Udayabhadda, Dhananja, K6rawya, Wedeha, Sanja, Wessantara, and Jdlaya, 100,000 in all, the length of whose ages gradually decreased from 10,000 years to the present age of man. The last of these princes had a son called Amba, or Okkika the third. The five principal queens of Amba (who is also called Am- batta) were Hastd, Chitri, Jantu, Jalini, and Wisdkha. Each of these queens was the chief of 500 concubines. Hasta had four sons and five daughters. The names of the sons were UlldU mukha, Kalanduka, Hastanika, and Purastinika or Sirinipura ; and of the daughters, Priyd, Supriyd, Nandd, Wijitd, and Wiji- tas^na. After the death of Hastd, the king appointed a young maiden as his principal queen, who had a son, Janta. Five days after the birth of this prince, his mother arrayed him in a splendid robe, took him to the king, and placing him in his arms, told him to admire his beauty. The king, on seeing him was much delighted that she had borne him so beautiful a son * The history of this king, written in Sanscrit hy K^ddsa, is still extant. It is said that there is a translation of it into Singhalese, hut I hare not met irith the work. The history was printed at London, in 1882, with the title '* Baghu Yansa KaUdasffi, Carmen, Sanskrite et Latino, cdidit A. F. Stenzler." 134 A MANUAL OF BUDHISM. in his old age, and gave her permission to ask from him any- thing she might desire. She replied that the king had already given her whatever she could possibly wish for, so that she had no want of her own ; but she requested him to grant the succes- sion of the kingdom to her son. The king, displeased at ber request, said that he had four illustrious princes bom prior to her son, and that be could not set aside their right to give it to the child of a low-caste woman ; and be asked if it was ber intention to put these sons to death ? The queen said nothing at that time, but retired to ber own apartments. But not long afterwards, when the king was talking to ber in a pleasant manner, she told him that it was wrong for princes to speak untruths ; and asked him if he bad never beard of the monarcb who was taken to hell for the utterance of a lie. By this allusion the king was put to shame. Unable to resist the importunity of the queen, Amba called the four princes into bis presence, and addressed them in these terms : — '' My sons, I have thoughtlessly given to another the kingdom that of rigbt belongs to you. These women are witches, and have overcome my bettor judgment by tbeir wiles ; Janta will be my successor ; therefore take whatever treasures you wish, except the five ' that belong to tbe regalia,* and as many people as will follow you, and go to some other place that you may there take up your abode." The king then wept over bis cbildren, kissed them, and sent them away. Tbe princes took with them abundant treasures and attendants, and departed from the city. Wben tbe five sisters beard of tbeir departure, they thought that there would be no one now to care for them, as tbeir brothers were gone ; so they resolved to follow them, and joined them, with such treasures as they could collect. There was great lamentation in tbe city wben tbe fate of tbe princes was revealed ; but as tbe nobles felt assured that they would return and assume tbe sovereignty, in which case those who did not accompany them would be disgraced, 84,000 joined in tbe fligbt, and were followed by hundreds of brabmans and men of wealth, and by thousands of merchants and writers. On tbe first day, the retinue of tbe princes extended sixteen miles ; on the second, thirty-two ; and on the tbird, forty-eight miles. Tbe * These were, the golden sword, the ornamented sUppen, the umbrella or canopy, the golden frontlet, and the ch&mara. VI. THE ANCESTORS OF GCiTAMA BUDHA. 135 assemblage set off in a south-eastern direction from Benares, and when they had proceeded sixteen miles, a oonncil was called. The princes said, '*We have so large a retinue that there is no city in Jambudwipa which could withstand us ; but if we were to seize on any kingdom by force, it would be unjust, and contrary to the principles of the Okk^ka race ; nor would it be consistent in us as princes to take that which belongs to another ; we will therefore erect for ourselves a city in some unpeopled wild, and reign in righteousness." This advice met with general approbation, and they set out to seek a suitable locality.* At this time, the Bddhisat who afterwards became G6tama Budha was the ascetic Kapila, and resided in a forest, near a lake, upon the borders of which were many umbrageous trees. The rite that he was practising was exceedingly difficult of observance. In the course of their wandering, the princes having come to the place of his retirement, did him reverence ; and when he asked them, though he knew they were the Okkdka princes, why they were passing through the forest, they related to him their history. The ascetic was acquainted with the art called bhtimi-wijaya, by which he knew the whole history of any given spot, to the extent of eighty cubits, both above and below the ground. Near the place where he lived, all the blades of grass and the climbing plants inclined towards the south. When * The following legend is translated (Jonrn. Bengal. As. See, Ang. 1833) by M. Alex. Gsoma de Kdrdsi from the 26th volume of the mDo class in the Ki-gpiT, commencing on the I7lst leaf : — " The five leaves, from page 171 to page 175, are occnpied with an enumeration of the descendants of Maha samroata down to Kama, at Fotala (supposed to be the ancient Potala, or the modem Taita, at the mouth of the Indus). He had two sons, Gdtama and Bharadhwaja. The former took the religious character, but Gdtama being afterwards accused of the murder of a harlot was unjustly impaled at Potua, and the latter succeeded to his father. He dying without issue, the two sons of Gdtama inherit, who were bom in a preternatural manner ; from the circumstances of their birih they and their descendants are called by different names ; as, Angirasa, Surya Vansa, Gautama, and Ikshwaku. One of the two brothers dies without issue, the other reigns under the name of Ikshwaku. To him succeeds his son, whose descendants (one hundred) afterwards successively reiffn at Fotala, the last of whom was Ikshwaku Yirudhaka (or Yid^haka). He has four sons. After the death of his first wife he marries again. He obtains the daughter of a king, under the condition that he shall give his throne to the son that shall be bom of that princess. By the contrivance of the chief officers to make room for the young prince to the succession, he orders the expulsion of his four sons." The princes set out to seek their fortune, and the narrative proceeds much in the same way as in the Singhalese legend. The descendants of Yirudhaka, to the number of 55,000, reigned at Kapflawastu. 136 A MANUAL OF BUDHISM. any animal was chased to that spot, fear fell upon the pursuer ; hares and miminnas* overawed the jackal ; frogs struck terror into the nayd ; and deer were under no alarm from the tiger. This was perceived by Kapila, and he knew thereby that a cha- krawartti and a Budha had resided there in a former age. It was on this account that he chose this place to be his own abode, and erected there his pansala, or hermitage ; but on the arrival of the princes he offered it to them for the building of their city, telling them that if even an outcaste had been bom there it would at some future period be honoured by the presence of a chakrawartti, and that from it a being would proceed who would be an assistance to all the intelligences of the world. No other favour did the sage request in return, but that the princes would call the city by his own name, Kapila. The city was built ac- cording to the advice they received, and was called after the name of the sagcf The princes then said to eacb other, '' If we Bend to any of the inferior kings to ask their daughters in marriage, it will be a dishonour to the Okkdka race ; and if we give our sisters to their princes it will be an equal dishonour ; it will therefore be better to stain the purity of our relationship than that of our race." The eldest sister was therefore ap- pointed as the queen-mother, and each of the brothers took one of the other sisters as his wife.