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Till the Vajjis continue to observe these fundamental rules, they will continue to attain greater and still greater heights, he said(143).
Split among the Vajjis
Vassakāra came back to Ajátasatru and said,
"Sir, as per what Bhagavān Buddha as revealed, the Vajjis are an invincible people. They may be overpowered only through corruption and split".
- "But how do we expect to bring about a split among them"?
- "Sir, I have a plan for this. Tomorrow, you speak something against the Vajjis at the court, and then I shall speak something in their favour. On account of that insubordination, you order the tonsure of my head and expulsion from the city. When I shall be taken out of the city, I shall shout, 'It is I who constructed the city wall and the ditch around it. I know all the weak spots. My name is not Vassakāra if soon I do not teach you a good lesson.".
All these things were enacted on the following day. When the news reached the Vajjis, some of the said,
"He must be a rogue. Don't let him come to this side of the Gangā".
But many more said,
"The whole incident goes in our favour. Upto this time, Ajātasatru relied on Vassakara's wisdom. The man is very intelligent. Why do we not use him now? He happens to be the enemy of our enemy. So we should welcome him".
Under this impression, the Vajjis made him their minister.
Within a short time, he established his hold on the Vajjis. Now it was time for him to create a split among
