322 
H. Beveridge— The Site of Kama Suvarna. [No. 4, 
“ in my states ” seems to imply that he ruled over more than one 
kingdom. It is not likely that S'asanka, the Hindu king of Karna 
Suvarna, would allow the introduction of Buddhism into his capital. I 
presume then that Hiuen Tsiang’s visit was made after S'asanka had 
been overcome by S'iladitya. 
There are seven other references * * * § to Karna Suvarna or to one of its 
kings. Prom them we learn that this king was called S'asanka, i. e., 
the moon, and that he was jealous of the power of Etajavardhana, the 
king of Kanauj, and the elder brother and predecessor of S'iladitya. 
He therefore lured him to a meeting and treacherously murdered 
him. We also learn that he was a great enemy of the Buddhists and 
cut down their sacred tree h ( Bodhidruma ). He must have possessed 
considerable power, for, after destroying the law of Buddha, he went to 
Patna and tried to deface a stone there which had been set up by 
Asoka, and bore the marks of Sakyamuni’s feet. Lassen considers that 
the assassination of BajavardhanaJ took place in 614, the year of S'ila- 
ditya s accession. He also holds § that S'asanka must have retained 
his independence during S'iladitya’s reign, or otherwise he never would 
have ventured to cut down the sacred tree. But it seems clear that 
Sasanka had done this long before and in the time of S'iladitya’s pre- 
decessor. The words “ dans ces derniers temps" do not mean re- 
cently, and we are expressly told in the 6th book of the Si-yu-ki (II. 
349,; Beal, II, 42), that the destruction of the law and the dispersion of 
the monks by S'asanka occurred a great many years ago. We also find 
the Bodhisattva, when exhorting S'iladitya to accept the crown, referring 
to S'asahka’s previous acts in destroying the law. And at p. 251 l.c. 
(Beal, I, 213) we are told that S'iladitya became master of the five Indies 
in his sixth year. According to Mr. Fleet, Harshavardhana, i.e., S’iladitya 
began to reign in 606 or 607. So we may presume that Sasanka died 
not later than 613. The Si-yu-ki (p. 469; Beal, II, 122) describes the 
manner of his death and says it occurred a long time ago. S'asanka must 
then, have been dead twenty or thirty years before Hiuen Tsiang went 
to Karna Suvarna. We know that there had been time to introduce 
Buddhism and to build a large monastery before he visited the place. 
* I- 112, 235, II. 248, 349, 422, 463, 468-9 ; Beal, Life, 83 ; Si-yu-ki, I, 210-213, 
II, 42, 91, 118, 121-2 
t Purnavarman irrigated it with milk, and it shot up in a night to the height 
of ten feet. At the time of composing the Si-yu-ki it was 44 feet high. If this 
account be taken as correct, a botanist might calculate the date of Sasahka’s 
violence. 
t He calls him Harshavardhana. Mr. Fleet holds that the accession was in 
606 or 607. 
§ III. 686. 
