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Early Buddhist Kingship

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 March 2011

Balkrishna G. Gokhale
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Extract

Monarchy was the dominant political institution of the Buddha's time. The Enlightened One was on very cordial terms with some of the leading monarchs of the times, whose interest and patronage early Buddhism appreciated a great deal. Many a rule of the Vinaya code was discreetly amended in deference to the convenience of kings such as Bimbisara and Pasendi, the Kosalan. And quite a few scions of royal families joined the order of monks and nuns and played a leading part in the propagation of the creed during its early critical years.

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Articles
Information
The Journal of Asian Studies , Volume 26 , Issue 1 , November 1966 , pp. 15 - 22
Copyright
Copyright © The Association for Asian Studies, Inc. 1966

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References

1 See Mahāvagga, I, 23, 39, 40–48.

2 Digha Nikāaya (London, 1890–1911) II, pp. 73–75; all the Pali texts used in this paper are from the Pāli Text Society's series unless otherwise indicated. The following abbreviations are used: Dīgha Nikāya— DN; Majjhima Nikāya—MN; Samyutta Nikāya —SmN; Anguttara Nikāya —AN; Jātaka—I; Sutta Nipāta—SN; and Milinda Pañha—MP.

3 For a summary of various theories on the date of Buddha's parinibbāna see Singh, Madan Mohan, Journal of Indian History, XXXIX, iii (December, 1961) pp. 359–363Google Scholar.

4 Davids, T. W. Rhys, Buddhist India (Calcutta, 1959) pp. 73–74Google Scholar.

5 SmN (London, 1884–1894), IV, pp. 324–325Google Scholar.

6 Ibid, I, pp. 89–90; on p. 32 in dem is an implied comparison between kings and thieves in their tendencies to deprive persons of their property. In MP (London, 1928) p. 192, the kings are described as taking the best of everything.

7 J (London, 1962) p. 450; also MP, p. 143.

8 MP, p. 29.

9 MN (London, 1888–1925) I, p. 231.

10 MP, p. 32.

11 DN, III, pp. 84–93; also see J, II PP. 352–353, III, p. 454, IV, p. 296, V, pp. 462–464; for the phussaratha ceremony indicating the survival of an elective monarchy see J, III, pp. 238–239, IV, pp. 39–46, V, p. 248, VI, pp. 39ff.

12 DN, I, p. 134.

13 SmN, I, p. 84.

14 See J, II, p. 2, III, p. 3; AN (London, 1885–1888), V, p. 101.

15 SN, I, p. 84.

16 J V, pp. 120–121.

17 Kautiliya Arthaéāstra, VI, I, 1.

18 AN, V, p. 22; also see DN, II, p. 235.

10 SmN, IV, p. 194; DN, II, p. 83; MP, p. 58.

20 SmN, I, p. 222.

21 See Ibid.,, I, p. 69; AN, V, p. 327.

22 J I. P. 153.

23 J, III, p. 274; SmN, I, p. 222.

24 DN, III, p. 61.

25 See Davids, T. W. Rhys and Stede, William (Eds.), Pāli Dictionary (London, 1959), pp. 23, 335–339Google Scholar.

26 J, II, p. 30; an officer called atthacaraka is also mentioned but his duties were judicial (cf. atthakarana), J, IV, p. 230.

27 J, III, p. 2.

28 See the author's paper on Dhammiko Dhammarājā in Indica (Bombay, 1953), pp. 161–165.

29 SmN, I, pp. 43–44, 222; IV, p. 246.

30 Pāli Dictionary, pp. 100, 123, 604, 711.

31 Ghoshal, U. N., A History of Indian Political Ideas (Bombay, 1959), pp. 24–25Google Scholar.

32 MN, I, p. 344.

33 See SN, Sela Sutta; MN, II, p. 134; DN, II, pp. 141–142.

34 MN, III, pp. 65 ff.

35 DN, II, p. 143.

36 See Briggs, L. P., The Ancient Khmer Empire (Philadelphia, 1951), p. 90Google Scholar.

37 Indra asks the gods to look at his flag for inspiration in their war against the demons, SmN, I, p. 219.

38 J, IV, p. 349.

39 SmN, I, p. 226; MP, p. 330.

40 AN, I, p. 106; these spots are declared as memorable or saraṇīyāni.

41 See SmN, V, p. 99.

42 T. W., and Davids, C. A. Rhys (Trans.), Dialogues of the Buddha (London, 1956–1959), II, p. 202, Note 3Google Scholar; MP, p. 107.

43 DN, II, p. 172.

44 Ibid.,, HI, pp. 59–60.

45 MP, p. 226.

46 Ibid.,, pp. 118, 282.

47 DN, II, p. 174; also MP, pp. 141, 282.

48 AN, I, pp. 109–110.

49 Ibid.,, III, p. 151; DN, III, p. 95.

50 See DN, II, p. 174.

51 Ibid.,, II, p. 186.

52 AN, I, p. 68.

53 J, II, p. 124; also see J, II, p. 368 where the role of the king as rain-maker is referred to.

54 AN, I, p. 76; bahujana hitāya … atthāya, hitāya, sukhāya.

55 MN, III, p. 176.

56 First Separate Kalinga Edict; Bhattacharya, S., Select Aśokan Epigraphs (Calcutta, 1960), p. 97Google Scholar; there are so many similarities between political ideals of the Early Buddhists and those of Aśoka that it seems that Aśoka followed the Early Buddhist political tradition rather than that laid down by Kau ṭalya.

57 SmN, I, p. 116.

58 Samantapāsādikā-Commznxazy on DN (London, 1924–1938), I, p. 10Google Scholar; Mahāvagga, V, i.