Sunday, 8 June 2025

What happened to the Shakyas after Buddha's lifetime?

What happened to the Shakyas after Buddha's lifetime? The shakyas were massacred during the final years of Buddha’s life by the Kosalan king Virudhaka. Story of the destruction of Shakyas King Prasenjit of Kosala wanted to marry a Shakya princess. The Shakyas instead send a maid disguised as a princess to the king. From this maid was born the prince Virudhaka. When Virudhaka learned that he was the son of a maid, he vowed revenge on the Shakyas - King Pasenadi of Kosala, wishing to marry into the clan of the Sakyans, sent some emissaries to Kapilavatthu with a request for the hand of one of the Sakyan princesses. Not wishing to offend King Pasenadi, the Sakyan princes replied that they would comply with his request, but instead of a Sakyan princess they sent a very beautiful girl, born of King Mahanama, by a slave woman. King Pasenadi made that girl one of his chief queens and subsequently she gave birth to a son. This son was named Vidudabha. When the prince was sixteen years old, he was sent on a visit to King Mahanama and the Sakyan princes. There he was received with some hospitality but all the Sakyan princes who were younger than Vidudabha had been sent away to a village, so that they would not have to pay respect to Vidudabha. After staying a few days in Kapilavatthu; Vidudabha and his people left for home. Soon after they left, a slave girl was washing with milk at the place where Vidudabha had sat; she was also cursing him, shouting, “This is the place where that son of a slave woman had sat…”. At that moment, a member of Vidudabha’s entourage returned to fetch something which he had left at the place and heard what the slave girl said. The slave girl also told him that Vidudabha’s mother, Vasabhakhattiya, was the daughter of a slave girl belonging to Mahanama. When Vidudabha was told about the above incident, he became wild with rage and declared that one day he would wipe out the whole clan of the Sakyans. Verse 47, Chapter 4, Dhammapada. When he became king of Kosala, Virudhaka marched against Shakyas 3 times but each time Buddha stopped him. However when Virudhaka marched for a 4th time, Buddha did not interfere - Vidudabha once firmly established on the throne remembered that grudge of his, and determined to destroy the Sakyas one and all; to which end he set out with a large army. That day at dawn the Master, looking forth over the world, saw destruction threatening his kin. "I must help my kindred," thought he. In the forenoon he went in search of alms, then after returning from his meal lay down lion-like in his Perfumed Chamber, and in the evening-time, having past through the air to a spot near Kapilavatthu, sat beneath a tree that gave scanty shade. Hard by that place, a huge and shady banyan tree stood on the boundary of Vidudabha's realms. Vidudabha seeing the Master approached and saluting him, said, "Why, Sir, are sitting under so thin a tree in all this heat? Sit beneath this shady banyan, Sir." He replied, "Let be, O king! the shade of my kindred keeps me cool."--"The Master," thought the other, "must have come here to protect his clansmen." So he saluted the Master, and returned again to Savatthi. And the Master rising went to Jetavana. A second time the king called to mind his grudge against the Sakyas, a second time he set forth, and again saw the Master seated in the same place, then again returned. A fourth time he set out; and the Master, scanning the former deeds of the Sakyas, perceived that nothing could do away with the effect of their evildoing, in casting poison into the river; so he did not go thither the fourth time. Baddasala Jataka. Virudhaka attacked Shakya republic and slaughtered everyone except a few people. However on the way back, Virudhaka himself was killed when a sudden flood struck his camp - True to his word, when Vidudabha became king, he marched on the Sakyan clan and massacred them all, with the exception of a few who were with Mahanama and some others. On their way home, Vidudabha and his army encamped on the sandbank in the Aciravati River. As heavy rain fell in the upper parts of the country on that very night, the river swelled and rushed down with great force carrying away Vidudabha and his whole army. On hearing about these two tragic incidents, the Buddha explained to the monks that his relatives, the Sakyan princes, had in one of their previous existences, put poison into the river killing fish. It was a result of that particular action, the Sakyan princes had died. Verse 47, Chapter 4, Dhammapada. Following Virudhaka’s unexpected death, Magadha under Ajatashatru annexed Kosala and Shakya lands.

No comments:

Post a Comment