Interpreting the Gita

[Valerie J Roebuck]

D D Kosambi, as quoted by Satya Upadhyaya, writes:

>Ajatasatru, king of
>Magadha, imprisoned his father
>Bimbisara to usurp the throne, and then had the old man killed in prison.
>Yet, even the Budhists and Jains, as well as the "Brhadaranyaka Upanisad"
>(2.1) praise the son (who was the founder of
>India's first great empire) as a wise and able king.

The canonical Buddhist text, the Diigha Nikaaya, in fact portrays
Ajaatasattu as being tormented by guilt for this act, and suffering
terrible consequences because of it (see e.g. the Saamaññaphala Sutta).
The Ajaata'satru of the UpaniSads is probably not the same man (see
previous discussion on this list).

Dr Valerie J Roebuck
Manchester, UK