Mod 6: Ajatashatru and Religion — the Samannaphala Sutta, Devadatta, the Buddha’s Relics and the First Buddhist Council
Concept
6.11 Ajatashatru and the Buddha
🏫 School level · NCERT Class 6–12 History (the base for UPSC, BPSC, BSSC and other PSC exams)
Devadatta, Samannaphala Sutta and Bharhut
Ajatashatru’s attitude to religion changed over his life. Early on, Buddhist texts say, he backed Devadatta, who tried to kill the Buddha — once by letting loose the fierce elephant Nalagiri, which the Buddha calmed. Later, troubled by guilt, the king visited the Buddha. The Samannaphala Sutta (“The Fruits of the Contemplative Life”, Digha Nikaya 2) records this meeting at Jivaka’s mango grove on a full-moon night: the king asked what visible fruit a monk’s life brings, heard the views of six other teachers, and finally confessed that he had killed his father.
A railing pillar of the Bharhut stupa (Madhya Pradesh, 2nd century BCE, now in the Indian Museum, Kolkata) shows a king on an elephant and in worship, with the label “Ajatasattu Bhagavato vandate” — “Ajatashatru bows to the Blessed One”. It shows how strongly the Buddhist tradition remembered his conversion.
- Supported Devadatta (Nalagiri episode), later repented.
- Samannaphala Sutta: meeting at Jivaka’s mango grove; confession of parricide.
- Bharhut: “Ajatasattu Bhagavato vandate”.
- Question: Which sutta records Ajatashatru’s meeting with the Buddha? Answer: Samannaphala Sutta.
MCQs
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[UPSC level] The Samannaphala Sutta records the meeting of the Buddha with:
[BPSC level] Where did Ajatashatru meet the Buddha, as told in the Samannaphala Sutta?
[School] Which elephant did Devadatta set loose on the Buddha?
[UPSC level] The label “Ajatasattu Bhagavato vandate” appears on a relief at:
[BPSC level] In the Samannaphala Sutta, Ajatashatru tells the Buddha the views of how many other teachers?
[BSSC pattern] Devadatta tried to split the Sangha with the support of:
[UPSC level] The Jain Aupapatika Sutra describes Kunika’s visit to Mahavira at:
One-liners
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Which sutta records Ajatashatru’s meeting with the Buddha?
Samannaphala Sutta.Concept
6.12 Relics and the First Council
🏫 School level · NCERT Class 6–12 History (the base for UPSC, BPSC, BSSC and other PSC exams)
Saptaparni cave, Mahakassapa, Ananda and Upali
When the Buddha died at Kushinagar (c. 483 BCE on the exam chronology, in Ajatashatru’s 8th year), Ajatashatru claimed a share of the relics as a Kshatriya, received one of the eight shares, and built a stupa over them at Rajagriha. Soon after, the First Buddhist Council met in the Saptaparni cave on Vaibhara hill under his patronage.
| Point | Detail |
|---|---|
| Year | c. 483 BCE (soon after the parinirvana) |
| Place | Saptaparni cave, Vaibhara hill, Rajagriha |
| Patron | Ajatashatru |
| President | Mahakassapa |
| Work | Ananda recited the Sutta (teachings); Upali recited the Vinaya (rules) |
| Monks | 500 arahants |
In the 1910s K. P. Jayaswal read the inscription on the huge Parkham Yaksha statue (Mathura) as naming “Kunika Ajatashatru”, making it a royal portrait. Later epigraphists read it differently — as the work of a sculptor called Kunika’s pupil — and date the statue to the 2nd–1st century BCE. It is now treated as a yaksha image, not a portrait of the king. This is a good example of how research corrects early claims.
- First Council c. 483 BCE: Saptaparni cave, patron Ajatashatru, president Mahakassapa.
- Ananda — Sutta; Upali — Vinaya; 500 arahants.
- Parkham Yaksha: not Ajatashatru’s portrait (revised view).
- Question: Who recited the Vinaya at the First Council? Answer: Upali.
- Question: Where was the First Council held? Answer: Saptaparni cave, Rajagriha.
MCQs
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Question 2: In 483 BCE, the First Buddhist Council was convened at Rajagriha under the patronage of which ruler?
[67th BPSC 2022] Who presided over the First Buddhist Council at Rajagriha?
[BPSC level] At the First Council the Vinaya was recited by:
[School] The First Buddhist Council was held in which cave?
[UPSC level] Ajatashatru received a share of the Buddha’s relics and enshrined them at:
[BSSC pattern] How many monks took part in the First Council by tradition?
[UPSC level] K. P. Jayaswal’s reading of the Parkham Yaksha inscription as a portrait of Ajatashatru is now:
One-liners
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Who recited the Vinaya at the First Council?
Upali.Where was the First Council held?
Saptaparni cave, Rajagriha.Concept
🎯 UPSC · BPSC · BSSC · State PSC level: PYQs, traps and mains
| Exam | What it asks from this module |
|---|---|
| UPSC | First Council details; Samannaphala Sutta; Bharhut labels |
| BPSC | Patron and president of the First Council (67th BPSC asked the president) |
| BSSC | Where the First Council met; who recited the Vinaya |
Who presided over the First Buddhist Council at Rajagriha? (a) Mahakassapa (b) Moggaliputta Tissa (c) Sabakami (d) Vasumitra
- Mahakassapa presided; Ajatashatru was the royal patron. Sabakami presided at the Second (Vaishali), Moggaliputta Tissa at the Third (Pataliputra), Vasumitra at the Fourth (Kashmir).
- Patron ≠ president: Ajatashatru = patron; Mahakassapa = president.
- Ananda recited the Sutta; Upali the Vinaya — not the other way.
- The Samannaphala Sutta meeting was at Jivaka’s mango grove, not at Venuvana.
Model question: “Ajatashatru was both a ruthless conqueror and a patron of religion.” Comment. Points: parricide and wars; Devadatta episode; Samannaphala Sutta; relic stupa; First Council; Jain claims (Aupapatika); Bharhut memory; what it says about kingship and religion in the 5th century BCE.
- Patron ≠ president; Ananda = Sutta, Upali = Vinaya.
- Question: Who was the patron of the First Council? Answer: Ajatashatru.
MCQs
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[UPSC level] Which pair about the First Buddhist Council is correct?
[BPSC level] In which year of Ajatashatru’s reign did the Buddha die?
[BSSC pattern] Samannaphala means:
[UPSC level] Which statement about Ajatashatru and religion is correct?
[BPSC level] Which Nikaya contains the Samannaphala Sutta?
[School] Ajatashatru claimed a share of the Buddha’s relics because he was a:
One-liners
Write your answer, then submit to see the correct answer.
Who was the patron of the First Council?
Ajatashatru.