________________
615
41. Murder of Maudgalyāyana
Knowing Maudgalyāyana to be a very resourceful person, monks of other sects hatched a conspiracy to have him killed. Some kiliers were hired for the purpose. They surrounded the monk in the Kálasila region. But the monk escaped through the key hole. The monk was encircled for the second time, but this time the monk decided to stay on. The killers pounced upon him, killed him and crushed his bones to dust and threw it behind some shrub. The soul of the monk came to the Truth-finder ) (Buddha) to pay his final homage. When the news reached King Ajatas atru, he got all the monks and killers arrested, buried them waist deep and burnt them.
Source: Dhammapada Athabathã,
10-7
Comment
This account is to be found in Jātaka Atthakathā as well as in Dhammapada Atthakatha. According to the former, the culprits were the Niganthas and according to the latter monks of other sects (tairthikas). Both appear to be false accounts to run others down. According to both Dr. Malālasekharal and Dr. Von West, Ajātaśatru killed 500 Niganthas and so the Niganthas were not happy with him. But facts are just the reverse, Ajātasatru has been neglected at many places by the Buddhists, while the Jaina tradition has held him in high esteem. (Vide Follower kings above), it does not seem possible that Ajātas'atru had killed 500 Niganthas.
42. Questions of Milinda
In this account, the renounced King Milinda re- .. viewed his army. Then he expressed a desire to hold discussion with some spiritual leader, when his ministers repeated the same six names, of which one was Nigantha Nätaputta.
1. Dictionary of Pali Proper Names, Part I, p.35. 2. Encyclopaedia of Buddhism, p.320.
