Chapter 2 - The Race Of Mahasammata

SPRUNG of the race of king Mahasammata was the Great Sage. For in the beginning of this age of the world there was a king named Mahasammata, and (the kings) Roja and Vararoja, and the two Kalyanakas^[1], Uposatha and Mandhata and the two, Caraka and Upacara, and Cetiya and Mucala and he who bore the name Mahamucala, Mucalinda and Sagara and he who bore the name Sagaradeva; Bharata and Angirasa and Ruci and also Suruci, Patapa and Mahapatapa and the two Panadas likewise, Sudassana and Neru, two and two^[2]; also Accima. His sons and grandsons, these twenty-eight princes whose lifetime was immeasurably (long), dwelt in Kusavati, Rajagaha, and Mithila^[3]. Then followed a hundred kings^[4], and (then) fifty-six, and (then) sixty,eighty-four thousand, and then further thirty-six, thirty-two, twenty-eight, then further twenty-eight, eighteen, seventeen, fifteen, fourteen; nine, seven, twelve, then further twentyfive; and (again) twenty-five, twelve and (again) twelve, and yet again nine and eighty-four thousand with Makhadeva coming at the head, and (once more) eighty-four thousand with Kalarajanaka at the head; and sixteen even unto Okkaka; these descendants (of Mahasammata) reigned in groups in their due order, each one in his capital.

The prince Okkamukha was Okkaka’s eldest son; Nipuna, Candima, Candamukha and Sivisamjaya, the great king Vessantara, Jali, and Sihavahana and Sihassara: these were his sons and grandsons. Eighty-two thousand in number were the royal sons and grandsons of king Sihassara; Jayasena was the last of them. They are known as the Sakya kings of Kapilavatthu^[5]. The great king Sihahanu was Jayasena’s son, and Jayasena’s daughter was named Yasodhara. In Devadaha there was a prince named Devadahasakka, Anjana and Kaccana were his two children. Kaccana was the first consort of Sihahanu, but the Sakka Anjana’s queen was Yasodhara. Anjana had two daughters, Maya and Pajapati, and also two sons, Dandapani and the Sakiya Suppabuddha. But Sihahanu had five sons and two daughters: Suddhodana, Dhotodana, Sakka, Sukka^[6], and Amitodana, and Amita and Pamita; these were the five sons and two daughters.

18 at Aritthapura the last being Sitthi.
17 at Indapatta the last being Brahmadeva.
15 at Ekacakkhu the last being Baladatta.
14 at Kosambi the last being Bhaddadeva.
  9 at Kannagoccha the last being Naradeva.
  7 at Rojananagara the last being Mahinda.
12 at Campa the last being Nagadeva.
25 at Mithila the last being Buddhadatta.
25 at Rajagaha the last being Dipamkara.
12 at Takkasila the last being Talissara.
12 at Kusinara the last being Purinda.
  9 at Malitthiya the last being Sagaradeva.

The son of Sagaradeva was Makhadeva ; the dynasty of Makhadeva (84,000) reigned in Mithila. The last prince was Nemiya, father of Kalarajanaka. These were followed by Samamkura, then by Asoka ; this was followed by a dynasty of 84,000 princes reigning in Baranasi. The last was Vijaya. He was followed by Vijitasena, Dhammasena, Nagasena, Samatha, Disampati, Renu, Kusa, Mahakusa, Navaratha, Dasaratha, Rama, Bilaratha, Cittadassi, Atthadassi, Sujata, Okkaka, and so on.

The royal consort of the Sakka Suppabuddha was Amita; she had two children: Bhaddakaccana and Devadatta. Maya and Pajapati were Suddhodana’s queens, and the son of the great king Suddhodana and of Maya was our Conqueror.

Of this race of Mahasammata, thus succeeding, was born, in unbroken line, the Great Sage, he who stands at the head of all men of lordly birth. The consort of the prince Siddhattha, the Bodhisatta, was Bhaddakaccana; her son was Rahula.

Bimbisara and the prince Siddhattha were friends, and friends likewise were the fathers of both. The Bodhisatta was five years older than Bimbisara; twenty-nine years old was he when he left (his father’s) house. When he had striven six years and thereafter had attained to wisdom, he, being thirty-five years old, visited Bimbisara. The virtuous Bimbisara was fifteen years old when he was anointed king by his own father, and when sixteen years had gone by since his coming to the throne, the Master preached his doctrine. Two and fifty years he reigned; fifteen years of his reign passed before the meeting with the Conqueror, and yet thirty-seven years (of his reign) followed in the lifetime of the Tathagata.

Bimbisara’s son, the. foolish Ajatasattu, reigned thirty-two years after he, the traitor, had slain (his father). In the eighth year of Ajatasattu the Sage entered into nibbana and thereafter did he, Ajatasattu, reign yet twenty-four years.

The Tathagata, who has reached the summit of all virtue, yielded himself up, albeit free, into the power of impermanence. He who shall contemplate this (same) dread-begetting impermanence shall attain unto the end of suffering.

Here ends the second chapter, called ‘The Race of Maha saipmata’, in the Mahavamsa, compiled for the serene joy and emotion of the pious.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

I. e. Kalyana and Varakalyana.

[2]:

Panada and Mahapanada, Sudassana and Mahasudassana, Neru and Mahaneru

[3]:

Kusavatl is the later Kusinara. Rajagaha, now Rajgir, was the capital of Magadha, and Mithila, situated in the Bengal district Tirhut, that of Videha.

[4]:

The dynasties from Accima to Kalarajanaka are dealt with in detail in Dip. 3. 14-37. Besides (i) the number of the princes sprung of each dynasty, the (ii) capital cities of each period, and (iii) the last king of each line are mentioned. The numbers and names are these :

100 at Pakula (?) the last being Arimdana.
56 at Ayujjha the last being Duppasaha.
60 at Baranasi the last being Ajitajana.
84,COO at Kapilanagara the last being Brahmadatta.
36 at Hatthipura the last being Kambalavasabha.
32 at Ekacakkhu the last being Purindadadeva.
28 at Vajira the last being Sadhina.
22 at Madhura the last being Dhammagutta

[5]:

The site of Kapilavatthu, the capital of the Sakya tribe and Gotama Buddha’s birthplace, is probably the present Tilaura Kot in Nepal. see. RHYS Davids “Buddhist India” p18

[6]:

I. e. Sakkodana and Sukkodana.