
































226 Report of the Archeological Survey. [No. 4, 
both of the claimants were mothers of the child—the one by maternity, 
the other by purchase. The child was accordingly named Bakula ; 
that is, of “two kulas, or races.” He reached the age of 90 years 
without once having been ill, when he was converted by the preaching 
of Buddha, who declared him to be ‘ the chief of that class of his 
disciples who were free from disease.” After this he is said to have 
lived 90 years more, when he became an arhat, or Buddhist saint. 
285. But the negative kind of merit which Bakkula acquired, by 
his freedom from disease, was not appreciated by Asoka, as we learn 
from a very curious legend which is preserved in the Divya Avadana. 
In the first ardour of his conversion to Buddhism the zealous Asoka 
wished to do honour to all the places which the life and teaching of Bud- 
dha had rendered famous, by the erection of stwpas, and the holy Upagup- 
ta volunteered to point out the sacred spots. Accordingly the goddess of 
the Sal tree, who witnessed Buddha’s birth, appeared to Asokaand vouch- 
ed for the authenticity of the venerated tree, which had given support 
to Maya-Devi, at the birth of the infant Sakya. Other holy sites are 
also indicated, such as the Bodhi-drim, or sacred Pipal tree at Buddha 
Gaya, under which Buddha sat for four years in meditation; and the 
Sal trees at Kusinagara, beneath which he obtained Nirvdéna,—besides 
various spots rendered famous by the acts of his principal disciples, 
Sariputra, Maudgalyaéyana, Kasyapa, Ananda. To all these holy 
places the pious King allotted large sums of money for the erection of — 
Stupas. Upagupta then pointed out the holy place of Bakkula at 
Kosémbi. “ And what was the merit of this sage?’ asked Asoka. 
“He lived,” answered Upagupta, “to a great age without once — 
having known disease.” ‘On him,” said the King, “I bestow one | 
farthing (Kdkanz).”* In Burnouf’s version of this story, Bakula is 
said to be the disciple who had encountered the fewest obstacles, from — 
which Asoka rightly argued that the fewer the obstacles the less the — 
merit. The same idea is even more tersely expressed by the old 
author of the “Land of Cockaigne” in describing the sinlessness of 
its inhabitants :— 
«Very virtuous may they be = 
** Who temptation never see.” 
* The Kékani was the fourth part of the copper pana, and was therefore — ‘ 
worth only 20 cowrees. Its weight was 20 raktikas, or ratis of copper, or — 
18229 x 20 = 375 grains nearly. 
di 
