DOCSLIB.ORG

2013-11-11 the Buddhas Last Days Mon, 9/7 10:59PM • 41:21

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
2013-11-11 the Buddhas Last Days Mon, 9/7 10:59PM • 41:21 2013-11-11 The Buddhas Last Days Mon, 9/7 10:59PM • 41:21 SUMMARY KEYWORDS buddha, king, stories, life, monks, die, discourse, practice, meditation, turmoil, statue, teaching, thought, age, discovered, attack, religion, world, human, war SPEAKERS Gil Fronsdal So Good evening, everyone. And can you hear me all right? Everybody's good. Okay. One of the primary ways in which religious teachings are conveyed by religions is through the stories that they tell. And people tend to remember the stories and celebrate the stories of founders and different events, the religion and Buddhism is no different in that it has stories that it tells that are meant to convey some of the teachings and some of our existential condition of our lives. And one of the great stories is the story of the last days of the Buddha's life. They say that in the history of Indian literature, the there's one text called the it's called the Mahāparinibbāṇa Sutta, the sutta on Buddha's final passing, which is an account of his last 6, 7, 8 months before he died, and it's the first oldest record, we have an India, of something, anything like a biography of a person, anything kind of like an account of someone's life that unfolds. So it's kind of a new genre of the times. And what scholars have said is this account of the Buddhist last day was not been was not done by a court reporter who was there to record everything down verbatim, but rather was something that was built an attitude over the centuries. Because what religions do is they tend to come up with new stories. And they sometimes forget the new stories are invented and they add them in and they create a collection of wonderful stories that the religious tradition lives by. And so, this text is very large text called the, the discourse on the final passing of the Buddha is made up of many small pieces and through it you see, and how in the ancient world what they thought was important to retain an important way of teaching what was the important message, what was important way of remembering the Buddha. And what's the one thing that is interesting about this text is they try to get cut out dramatically try to get it both ways. They both try to present the Buddha and very human terms, more than almost any other, you know, as a huge vault many volumes of ancient discourses, and the Buddha never quite seems human. You know, he's human, but, you know, he's not depicted in having, you know, somebody that's normal human emotions and things. He's very kind of independent and free or, or, you know, economist in the middle of it all. So, it's This last tech shows much more human and much more human situation. And interspersed with that is him being somewhat superhuman. And so for example, he has to cross the Ganges River. And how do you cross the Ganges River if you're a great founder of religion, you fly over. So a variety of things, you know, kind a little bit more superhuman. What I'd like to do this evening is to tell you some of the more human side of what was written down. We don't know again, this really represents the Buddha. We don't know what represents the Buddha, we just know we have these stories. And what you're going to get today is modern Buddhist, choosing those stories, which I think are significant. And what I'm going to choose is those stories that depict him more as a human being, and if you tease apart some of the stories, and kind of look behind the kind of in between the lines of some of the things are being said, you get the next Count, that the Buddha in the end of his life was living in a time of tremendous turmoil. The world that he knew for 80 years was many ways falling apart. And here he is falling apart himself as an 80 year old man sick and old. And, and you see kind of this, this whole situation to society and him facing certain kind of transition for him, his sake, his death, and then how he composes himself This transcript is machine generated and may contain errors Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License audiodharma.org 1 how he goes through that what he thinks is important at that juncture in his life and how he dies, is part of his message. It said in this Theravada tradition that there are four four heavenly messengers these are considered kind of mythic ideas of what can very auspicious things that you can see, that inspires people in their practice that inspires people about the importance of, of facing existential issues of our life in order to kind of find our peace with them, or liberation with them. And these four heavenly messengers are sickness, old sickness, old age, and death. And then the fourth one is a renunciant, someone who has found a way to live peacefully in the midst of this life of sickness, old age and death. And in this discourse, last days of the Buddha, the Buddha is the Heavenly Messenger for all four. He's, yeah, he's sick, you'll see. He's old. He dies. And he's a renunciant. And he's someone who has lived a life of peace of liberation or freedom. So you know, the story kind of carries a lot. This ancient story conveys him as an old and sick and person in pain, very different from the statues and images that survive. Buddhist statue. through the ages of mostly wanting to depict the Buddha as a relatively young person radiant fleshy uprights straight straight back, nice smile. Probably this is a statue we have here is depicting him. The night of his awakening is sitting in meditation. And it said that he was about 36 at that time. So you know, well, well, you know, healthy looking, upright, 36 year old man kind of looks good, right? And the statues you suggest that you see it looks even younger. And it's very, very rare. I don't even actually know if there are statues of the Buddha as an old man. I guess people don't like to represent their, you know, their founder, their, you know, over the religion and you know, decrepit old guy bent over. You know, you want to you want to have an image that represents your religion. Well But you kind of get the wrong image a little bit, you get the wrong impression of life if that's all you see, you don't get the heavenly messengers of sickness, old age and death in the same way. So, before we get into the story, in this text, I'm going to tell you, there's a context for it that you can with that little bit interpretive, but I'll tell you, what's the interpretation and what comes from most ancient texts. There is a discourse where a king comes to see the Buddha and his name is Pasenadi. And he was contemporary to the Buddha, they were the same age. They're both 80 years old and the story and the king learns that the Buddha is not so far away within a day's trip from where he is. And so he gathers a few people together and goes out to this, to see the Buddha and it's this king was probably of all the key of that area there are a number of small countries. This King was the one who is probably the best friends with the Buddha they known each other It seemed like most of their lives. And so they were friends and would regularly conferred with a king of the king conferred with the Buddha and things. And here they are to 80 year old men, that King learns that the Buddha is nearby. He makes a trip to go see him. And then when it comes to the woods, where the Buddha is Buddha still living in some wooded area The king has as Minister with him and maybe an army with him small you know, personal army to protect them or something. But when you go see a Buddha you go see a great religious figure, you usually don't carry with you your sword, your weapon, right you take your your AK machine gun and put it outside before you go into, you know, into the church right and most people don't carry the machine guns with them. So the king took his sword which is his turban. Both of those also represented were symbols of his power. And he took those off. And he gave them to his minister. He goes into see the Buddha. And they have a chat and the king says it's really great. We've known each other for a long time. You're an old man, you're 80 years old. I'm an old man, you're eight years old. This is all taking place in the, in the foothills of the Himalayas, or the border between his country and where the Buddha was born. And the Buddha is back in his place his home country.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Gist of Ncert
    Click Here For Integrated Guidance Programme http://upscportal.com/civilservices/online-course/integrated-free-guidance-programme GIST OF N.C.E.R.T TERRITORIAL STATES AND THE FIRST MAGADHAN EMPIRE The Mahajanapadas lay at Kushinara where Gautama Buddha passed away. Kushinara is identical with Kasia in Deoria In the age of the Buddha we find 16 large states district. called Mahajanapadas, They were mostly situated north of the Vindhyas and extended from the north- Further west lay the kingdom of the Vatsas, along west frontier to Bihar. Of these Magadha, Koshala, the bank of the Yamuna, with its capital at Vatsa and Avanti seem to have been considerably Kaushambi near Allahabad. The Vatsas were a powerful. Beginning from the east we hear of the Kuru clan who had shifted from Hastinapur and kingdom of Anga which covered the modern settled down at Kaushambi. Kaushambi was districts of Monghyr and Bhagalpur. It had its chosen because of its location near, the confluence capital at Champa, Eventually the kingdom, of Anga of the Ganga and the Yamuna was swallowed by its powerful neighbour Magadha. We also hear of the older states of the Kurus and Magadha embraced the former districts of patna, the Panchalas which were situated in western Gaya and parts of Shahbad, and grew to be the Uttar Pradesh, but they no longer enjoyed the leading state of the time. North of the Ganga in political importance which they had attained in the division of Tirhut was the state of the Vajjis the later Veidc period. which included eight clans.
    [Show full text]
  • The Emergence of the Mahajanapadas
    The Emergence of the Mahajanapadas Sanjay Sharma Introduction In the post-Vedic period, the centre of activity shifted from the upper Ganga valley or madhyadesha to middle and lower Ganga valleys known in the contemporary Buddhist texts as majjhimadesha. Painted grey ware pottery gave way to a richer and shinier northern black polished ware which signified new trends in commercial activities and rising levels of prosperity. Imprtant features of the period between c. 600 and 321 BC include, inter-alia, rise of ‘heterodox belief systems’ resulting in an intellectual revolution, expansion of trade and commerce leading to the emergence of urban life mainly in the region of Ganga valley and evolution of vast territorial states called the mahajanapadas from the smaller ones of the later Vedic period which, as we have seen, were known as the janapadas. Increased surplus production resulted in the expansion of trading activities on one hand and an increase in the amount of taxes for the ruler on the other. The latter helped in the evolution of large territorial states and increased commercial activity facilitated the growth of cities and towns along with the evolution of money economy. The ruling and the priestly elites cornered most of the agricultural surplus produced by the vaishyas and the shudras (as labourers). The varna system became more consolidated and perpetual. It was in this background that the two great belief systems, Jainism and Buddhism, emerged. They posed serious challenge to the Brahmanical socio-religious philosophy. These belief systems had a primary aim to liberate the lower classes from the fetters of orthodox Brahmanism.
    [Show full text]
  • Bahiya Sutta About Bahiya
    Table of Contents Baalapandita Sutta-----------------------------------------------------------2 Bahiya Sutta----------------------------------------------------------------- 16 Bahiya Sutta----------------------------------------------------------------- 20 Bahudhaatukasuttam ----------------------------------------------------- 24 Bahuna Sutta ---------------------------------------------------------------- 30 Bahuvedaniiya Sutta ------------------------------------------------------ 31 Bakkula Sutta --------------------------------------------------------------- 37 Bakkulasuttam-------------------------------------------------------------- 41 Bala Pandita Sutta --------------------------------------------------------- 46 Bhaddekaratta Sutta ------------------------------------------------------ 48 Bhaddekarattasuttam ----------------------------------------------------- 54 Bhaya Bherava Sutta ------------------------------------------------------ 58 Bhayabherava Sutta ------------------------------------------------------- 66 Bhikkhu Aparihaniya Sutta --------------------------------------------- 75 Bhikkhuni Sutta ------------------------------------------------------------ 77 Bhojana Sutta --------------------------------------------------------------- 81 Bhumija Sutta --------------------------------------------------------------- 82 Bhutamidam Sutta--------------------------------------------------------- 91 Bhuumija Sutta ------------------------------------------------------------- 95 Brahmajala Sutta ----------------------------------------------------------103
    [Show full text]
  • Magadha-Empire
    Rise & Growth of Magadha Empire [Ancient Indian History Notes for UPSC] The Magadha Empire encompasses the rule of three dynasties over time - Haryanka Dynasty, Shishunaga Dynasty, and Nanda Dynasty. The timeline of the Magadha Empire is estimated to be from 684 BCE to 320 BCE. Read about the topic, 'Rise and Growth of the Magadha Empire,' in this article; which is important for the IAS Exam (Prelims - Ancient History and Mains - GS I & Optional). Rise of Magadha Notes for UPSC Exam The four Mahajanapadas - Magadha, Kosala, Avanti and Vatsa were vying for supremacy from the 6th century BCE to the 4th century BCE. Finally, Magadha emerged victorious and was able to gain sovereignty. It became the most powerful state in ancient India. Magadha is situated in modern Bihar. Jarasandha, who was a descendant of Brihadratha, founded the empire in Magadha. Both are talked about in the Mahabharata. Read about the 16 Mahajanapadas in the linked article. Magadha Empire - Haryanka Dynasty The first important and powerful dynasty in Magadha was the Haryanka dynasty. Bimbisara (558 BC – 491 BC) • Son of Bhattiya. • According to Buddhist chronicles, Bimbisara ruled for 52 years (544 BCE - 492 BCE). • Contemporary and follower of the Buddha. Was also said to be an admirer of Mahavira, who was also his contemporary. • Had his capital at Girivraja/Rajagriha (Rajgir). o It was surrounded by 5 hills, the openings of which were closed by stone walls on all sides. This made Rajagriha impregnable. • Also known as Sreniya. • Was the first king to have a standing army. Magadha came into prominence under his leadership.
    [Show full text]
  • Detailed Representatives
    History Explore – Journal of Research for UG and PG Students ISSN 2278 – 0297 (Print) ISSN 2278 – 6414 (Online) © Patna Women's College, Patna, India http://www.patnawomenscollege.in/journal Monuments of Bihar : A Syncretic Culture Kajal Kiran • Anuradha • Swati Kiran • Sister Matilda Pereira A.C. Received : December 2010 Accepted : February 2011 Corresponding Author : Sister Matilda Pereira A.C. Abstract : Bihar is a land affluent in natural beauty, Lord Buddha- founder of the Buddhism. The ruins of Nalanda whispering forests, sparkling lakes, majestic forts and and Vikramshila bear the testimony of our being on the palaces, holy shrines and natural hot springs emerging from zenith of culture and civilization some 2500 years ago. This a backdrop of eternal snow.It is a magnetic destination is the land on which Lord Buddha and Mahavira started their attracting tourists who throng every year. With tremendous religious orders.Monuments in Bihar can be further potential for growth in numbers and quality, Bihar is one of classified on the basis of religions- Hinduism, Buddhism, the eastern states in the Indian union endowed with Jainism, Sikhism, Islam and Christianity representing the immense tourism potential. The presence of numerous syncretic culture of Bihar. ancient monuments represents the rich culture and heritage Key words:- Heritage, Magnetic destination, Archeology, of the state.Bihar, as of today after bifurcation, is still studded Tourist etc. with monuments of its past glory- monuments that bear the memory of Jain Mahavira- 24th Trithankar of Jainism and Introduction: Kajal Kiran B.A. III year, History (Hons.), Session: 2008-2011, Bihar is a land affluent in natural beauty, Patna Women’s College, Patna University, Patna, whispering forests, sparkling lakes, majestic forts Bihar, India and palaces, holy shrines and natural hot springs Anuradha emerging from a backdrop of eternal snow.It is a B.A.
    [Show full text]
  • 6Nbt- Gautam Buddha by Leela George.Pdf
    ISBN 81-237-1081-X First Edition 1982 Sixth Reprint 2006 (Saka 1928) <0 Leela George, 1982 Published by the Director, National Book Trust, India , Nehru Ba/ Pustakalaya ATIO AL BOOK TRU T. I Dl A -. Prince Siddhartha More than two thousand five hundred years ago, there lived in India, in the shadow of the Himalayas, a tribe / , ~ oj <..v ,... ( r.J _-'.. ~ . called the Sakyas. The chief ofthe tribe was Raja Shuddho­ dhana and his queen's name was Mahamaya. Their capital was the beautiful city Kapilavastu. One night-Mahamaya had a strange dream. She dreamt that four kings carried her up to a lovely lake on a silver mountain, where she was bathed , dressed in fine clothes and bedecked with flowers. Then, they took her to a celestial palace and laid her upon a golden bed. A white elephant with a lotus in its trunk approached and after going round her three times struck her side. Learned Brahmins interpreted the dream as a sign that Mahamaya would soon give birth to a great and noble son . And so it came to pass. When Mahamaya knew that she was to become a mother, following the custom, she left for her father's house. While she was still on her way, however, a son was born to her in a grove of Sal \ ' ,j L r/' trees at Lumbini. Mahamaya now turned back and returned to Kapila­ vastu. King Shuddhodhana received them enthusiastically and there was great rejoicing in the kingdom. Shortly afterwards mother and child were visited by the sage Asita.
    [Show full text]
  • Faculty Details Proforma for DU Web-Site
    Faculty Details proforma for DU Web-site First Karam Tej Sarao Title Professor Last Name Photograph Name Singh Designation Professor Address Room No. 317, Second Floor, Extension Building, Department of Buddhist Studies, Faculty of Arts, University of Delhi, Delhi – 110007. Phone No Office 27666625 Mobile 9811262124 Email [email protected]; [email protected] www.ktssarao.com Web-Page http://people.du.ac.in/~ktssarao/ Educational Qualifications Degree Institution Year Preah Sihanouk Raja Buddhist University, D.Litt. (honoris causa) 2011 Phnom Penh, Cambodia Ph.D. University of Cambridge. 1988 Ph.D. University of Delhi. 1985 M.Phil. University of Delhi. 1981 PG: MA (History) University of Delhi 1979 UG: BA (Hons) History University of Delhi. 1977 Any Other Qualifications 1. PG Diploma: Pāli University of Delhi 1983 Language & Literature 2. Diploma: (Fortran 77) Cambridge University 1987 Career Profile April, 1996 - till date: Professor, Department of Buddhist Studies, University of Delhi. October 2010- April 2011: Chair, Buddhist and Sanskrit Studies, Preah Sihanouk Raja Buddhist University, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. July, 2008 - Dec, 2009: Visiting Faculty, Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management, New Delhi and Gwalior, Government of India. 2nd Aug, 2009 - 31st Aug 2009: Visiting Professor, Maison des Sciences de L‟Homme, Paris, France. www.du.ac.in Page 1 1st Mar, 2008 -14th Mar, 2008: Visiting Fellow, Visvabharati, Santiniketan, India. 2005: Annual Visiting Professor, Dongguk University, Seoul, Korea. Oct, 2002 - July, 2005: Visiting Professor, Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Studies, Fagu Shan University, Taiwan. Apr, 2001 – June, 2001: Visiting Professor, Maison des Sciences de L‟Homme, Paris, France. Aug, 1999 – Jan, 2000: Visiting Fellow, St Edmunds College, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.
    [Show full text]
  • Prince Ajatasattu Free
    FREE PRINCE AJATASATTU PDF Osamu Tezuka,Maya Rosewood | 418 pages | 08 May 2007 | Vertical Inc. | 9781932234626 | English | New York, United States Ajatashatru - Wikipedia Tezuka himself was a humanist rather than a Buddhist, and his magnum opus is not an attempt at propaganda. This edit will also create new pages on Comic Vine for:. Until you earn points all your submissions need to be vetted by other Comic Vine users. This process takes Prince Ajatasattu more than a few hours and we'll send you an Prince Ajatasattu once approved. Tweet Clean. Cancel Update. What size image should we insert? This will not affect the original upload Small Medium How do you want the image positioned around text? Float Left Float Right. Cancel Insert. Go to Link Unlink Change. Cancel Create Link. Disable this feature for this session. Rows: Prince Ajatasattu. Enter the URL for the tweet you want to embed. Creators Osamu Tezuka artist, cover, writer. Teams Daevas Giants. Locations India. Story Arcs. This edit will also create new pages on Prince Ajatasattu Vine for: Beware, you are proposing to add brand new pages to the wiki along with your edits. Make sure this Prince Ajatasattu what you intended. This will likely increase the time it takes for your changes to go live. Comment and Save Until you earn points all your submissions need to be vetted by other Comic Vine users. Use your keyboard! Buddha, Volume 7: Prince Ajatasattu by Osamu Tezuka: | : Books Devadatta is noted for attempting to kill the Sakyamuni Prince Ajatasattu on several occasions including:. According to Prince Ajatasattu Pitakaafter trying to kill Sakyamuni Buddha a number of times, Devadatta set up his own Buddhist monastic order by splitting the sangha.
    [Show full text]
  • The History of Buddhism
    The History of Buddhism The Life of Shakyamuni uddhism arose from the teachings The Buddhist scriptures recount that one of a man called Shakyamuni, who is day Shakyamuni exited the palace through the also known as Siddhartha Gautama eastern gate and saw an old person; then, at the Band referred to throughout the world by his south gate, he saw a sick person. At the west honorific title, the Buddha. Shakya is the gate, he observed a funeral procession. These name of the clan to which his family belonged; encounters affected him greatly, causing him Shakyamuni means “sage of the Shakyas.” to ponder deeply the impermanence of life. According to Buddhist scriptures, Shakya- When he arrived at the north gate, he came muni was born near the ancient city of Kapila- upon a religious seeker and was immediately vastu in Lumbini Gardens in southern Nepal. inspired to find the answers to humanity’s His father was Shuddhodana, the king of the fundamental sufferings: birth, aging, sickness Shakyas. His mother, Maya, died soon after and death. This series of encounters is called Shakyamuni’s birth and his maternal aunt the “four meetings.” Mahaprajapati raised him. At age nineteen, or by some accounts Several theories regarding his birth age twenty-nine, Shakyamuni renounced his suggest that he was born in 463, 566 or 624 privileged existence and embarked on a search BCE. During Nichiren Daishonin’s lifetime for life’s truth, devoting himself to spiritual in thirteenth-century Japan, it was generally seeking. accepted that Shakyamuni lived much earlier, from 1029 BCE to 949 BCE, based on accounts in the Chinese text Record of Wonders in the The Awakening Book of Chou.1 uring Shakyamuni’s time, many religious schools flourished in India.
    [Show full text]
  • The Mauryan Empire)
    1 vi hist & civ Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) (for 3rd Term) CLASS: VI SUBJECT: HISTORY & CIVICS ============================================================================================= Chapter – 8 (Rise of Magadha) Question 1) In an early Buddhiest text, we find a list of _______ great mahajanpadas (a) 16 (b) 17 (c) 18 Question 2) The king collected taxes from the people to maintain the army as well as to build roads, canals etc. (a) True (b) False Question 3) Most of the Mahajanpadas were ruled by hereditary rulers, some were republics ruled by an assembly elected by the ________ (a) people (b) governor (c) minister Question 4) ________ mahajanpadas become very powerful. (a) 4 (b) 5 (c) 6 Question 5) Vajji was a ________ comprising smaller kingdoms such as Lichchavi and Videha. (a) republic (b) mahajan (c) democratic Question 6) ________ was the capital of Lichchhavi. (a) Vaishali (b) Kashi (c) Vatsa Question 7) Avanti corresponds to present day Malwa region. (a) True (b) False Question 8) The ________ was divided into two halves by the vindhya mountains. (a) Mahajanpadas (b) Janapadas (c) none of them Question 9) Ujjayani was the capital of northern half and ________ was the capital of the Southern halves. (a) Mahishmati (b) Nalanda (c) None of them Question 10) The earliest rulers of Avanti were the Haihayas. (a) True (b) False Question 11) Haihayas were succeeded by _________ (a) Pradyota (b) Kashi (c) Avanti Question 12) King chandaprodyota was a contemporary of _________. (a) Mahavir (b) Gautam Buddha (c) none of them Question 13) Avanti became a part of Magadha during the reign of Shishunaga.
    [Show full text]
  • Indian HISTORY
    Indian HISTORY AncientIndia PRE-HISTORICPERIOD G The Mesolithic people lived on hunting, fishing and food-gathering. At a later G The recent reported artefacts from stage, they also domesticated animals. Bori in Maharashtra suggest the appearance of human beings in India G The people of the Palaeolithic and around 1.4 million years ago. The early Mesolithic ages practised painting. man in India used tools of stone, G Bhimbetka in Madhya Pradesh, is a roughly dressed by crude clipping. striking site of pre-historic painting. G This period is therefore, known as the Stone Age, which has been divided into The Neolithic Age The Palaeolithic or Old Stone Age (4000-1000 BC) The Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age G The people of this age used tools and The Neolithic or New Stone Age implements of polished stone. They particularly used stone axes. The Palaeolithic Age G It is interesting that in Burzahom, (500000-9000 BC) domestic dogs were buried with their masters in their graves. G Palaeolithic men were hunters and food G First use of hand made pottery and gatherers. potter wheel appears during the G They had no knowledge of agriculture, Neolithic age. Neolithic men lived in fire or pottery; they used tools of caves and decorated their walls with unpolished, rough stones and lived in hunting and dancing scenes. cave rock shelters. G They are also called Quartzite men. The Chalcolithic Age G Homo Sapiens first appeared in the (4500-3500 BC) last phase of this period. The metal implements made by them G This age is divided into three phases were mostly the imitations of the stone according to the nature of the stone forms.
    [Show full text]
  • Class Notes Class: 6Th Topic: Kingdoms, Kings and an Early Republic
    Class Notes Class: 6th Topic: Kingdoms, Kings and an Early Republic Subject: SOCIAL SCIENCE BRAINSTORM Case study: Magadha and Vajji Magadha From the sixth century BCE onwards, India's history was marked by struggles among the mahajanapadas. Eventually the kingdom of Magadha emerged as the most powerful. The name Magadha first appears in the Atharva Veda and later in the Yajur Veda. It came to prominence during the reign of Bimbisara who belonged to the Haryana dynasty. He expanded his kingdom by direct conquests and matrimonial alliances. Bimbisara was succeeded by his son Ajatashatru who also followed a policy of expansion. The rise of Magadha is also attributed to able rulers Bimbisara, Ajatashatru and Mahapadmananda. The earliest capital of Magadha was at Rajgir Later, in the fifth century BCE, the capital was shifted to Pataliputra. It was located on the confluence of Ganges, Gandak and Son. During these pre-industrial days armies could move north, west, south and east by following the courses of the rivers. This also means the people of Magadha had access to fertile agricultural lands. There was also an abundance of timber. People lived in wooden houses. Magadha was located in a geographically suitable position. It was situated near to the iron deposits. The ready availability of iron helped the Magadhan princes to equip themselves with weapons. Magadha enjoyed a special position in military organisation. It was the first state to use elephants in wars. Vajji Magadha was all along ruled by a dynasty. Not far from it was another mahajanapada called Vajji with its capital at Vaishali.
    [Show full text]