Founder of the Haryaṇka dynasty and first king of Magadha, which he ruled for 52 years (c.465-413 bce) from his palace in Rājagṛha. Bimbisāra was a great patron and admirer of the Buddha, who was five years his senior, and donated the Veḷuvana ārāma for his use. Bimbisāra became a lay follower at the age of 30 and thereafter was zealous in his religious practice. He abdicated in later life in favour of his son, Ajātaśatru (Pāli, Ajātasattu), who, at the instigation of Devadatta, had his father imprisoned and tortured to death. Bimbisāra died eight years before the Buddha.
Bimbisara
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Bimbisara, (Sanskrit: बिम्भिसार, 558 BC—491 BC)[1][2] was a king of the Magadha empire from 543 BC to his death and belonged to the Hariyanka dynasty.[3]
Contents |
Career
There are many accounts of Bimbisara in the Jain texts and the Buddhist Jatakas, since he was a contemporary of Mahavira and Gautama Buddha. He acquired Anga after defeating Brahmadatta and placed it under the viceroyalty of his son Ajatashatru, with its capital at Champa. King Bimbisara was a disciple of Mahaveer and frequently sought his teachings. According to Buddhist scriptures, King Bimbisara met the Buddha for the first time prior to the Buddha's enlightenment, and later became an important disciple. He is recorded to have attained sotapannahood, a degree of enlightenment in Buddhist teachings. However, the Jain scriptures say he was a Jain.
As per Jainism texts, he is referred to as King Shrenik of Rajgrih (being the possessor of a large army). Bimbisar sent Jeewak to Ujjain for medical treatment of King Prodyot,the king of Avanti.
Marriage alliances
Bimbisara used marriage alliances to strengthen his position. His first wife was Kosala-devī, the daughter of Mahā Kosala the king of Kosala, and a sister of Prasenjit. His bride brought him Kashi, which was then a mere village, as dowry.[4] This marriage also ended the hostility between Magadha and Kosala and gave him a free hand in dealing with the other states. Bimbisara's second wife, Chellana, was a Lichchhavi princess from Vaishali.[5] His third wife, Kshema, was a daughter of the chief of the Madra clan of Punjab.[6]
Death
Tradition tells us that Bimbisara was imprisoned by his son Ajatashatru who is said to have starved him to death. This is reported to have taken place around 491 BC.[3]
References
- ^ Rawlinson, Hugh George. (1950) A Concise History of the Indian People, Oxford University Press. p. 46.
- ^ Muller, F. Max. (2001) The Dhammapada And Sutta-nipata, Routledge (UK). p. xlvii. ISBN 0-7007-1548-7.
- ^ a b Stearns, Peter N. (2001) The Encyclopedia of World History, Houghton Mifflin. pp. 76-78. ISBN 0-395-65237-5.
- ^ Eck, Diana. (1998) Banaras, Columbia University Press. p. 45. ISBN 0-231-11447-8.
- ^ Luniya, Bhanwarlal Nathuram. (1967) Evolution of Indian Culture, Lakshmi Narain Agarwal. p. 114.
- ^ Krishna, Narendra. (1944) History of India, A. Mukherjee & bros. p. 90.
- G.P.Singh "Early Indian Historical Tradition and Archaelogy"; page 164
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by None |
Emperor of Magadha 545 BCE – 493 BCE |
Succeeded by Ajatashatru |
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 | Magadha (kingdom, India) |
| Shishunaga dynasty |
| Virudhaka |
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