A Record Of Buddhistic Kingdoms - Being An Account By The Chinese Monk Fa-hien Of His Travels In India And Ceylon (a.d. 399-414) By James Legge
- Page 108 of 190 - First - Home
On the roads people have to be on
their guard against white elephants[21] and lions, and should not
travel incautiously.
NOTES
[1] Kapilavastu, "the city of beautiful virtue," was the birthplace of
Sakyamuni, but was destroyed, as intimated in the notes on last
chapter, during his lifetime. It was situated a short distance north-
west of the present Goruckpoor, lat. 26d 46s N., lon. 83d 19s E.
Davids says (Manual, p. 25), "It was on the banks of the river Rohini,
the modern Kohana, about 100 miles north-west of the city of Benares."
[2] The father, or supposed father, of Sakyamuni. He is here called
"the king white and pure" ({.} {.} {.}). A more common appellation is
"the king of pure rice" ({.} {.} {.});" but the character {.}, or
"rice," must be a mistake for {.}, "Brahman," and the appellation=
"Pure Brahman king."
[3] The "eldest son," or "prince" was Sakyamuni, and his mother had no
other son. For "his mother," see chap. xvii, note 3. She was a
daughter of Anjana or Anusakya, king of the neighbouring country of
Koli, and Yasodhara, an aunt of Suddhodana. There appear to have been
various intermarriages between the royal houses of Kapila and Koli.
[4] In "The Life of the Buddha," p. 15, we read that "Buddha was now
in the Tushita heaven, and knowing that his time was come (the time
for his last rebirth in the course of which he would become Buddha),
he made the necessary examinations; and having decided that Maha-maya
was the right mother, in the midnight watch he entered her womb under
the appearance of an elephant." See M. B., pp.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 108 of 190
Words from 28728 to 29006
of 51126
