7 
1892.] W. Hoey —Set Mahet. 
subsequently with too terrible cruelty. I shall return to this narrative 
again. 
It cannot be inferred from the fact of a raid being made by a king 
of Sravasti on the Sakyas of Kapilavastu, Buddha’s native place, that 
the latter were independent of the king of Kosala. The Sakyas were, 
like the royal house of Sravasti, Kshatriyas, and their position was some¬ 
what that of a clan living in federated subordination to the greater 
power of the Kosala sovereigns. Suddhodana, Buddha’s father, though 
spoken of as a king, was probably not more than a powerful taluqdar of 
modern days, who happens to be not only a large landholder but also 
the head of a much-ramified brotherhood. 
It is highly improbable that Buddha visited Sravasti before he 
attained enlightenment. We may safely say that he did not. During 
Buddha’s early residence as a teacher at Rajagriha, Sudatta, a wealthy 
merchant of Sravasti, came on a visit to a householder of Raja-griha 
who gave a feast in Buddha’s honour. During his stay, Sudatta, who 
was already a man of exemplary humanity and charity, known as ‘ the 
feeder of the orphan and the widow’ (anatliapindada), visited Buddha, 
and under his teaching became a lay follower. Sudatta then invited 
Buddha to came to Sravasti, but Buddha demurred as there was not a 
vihara at Sravasti. Sudatta offered to provide one and Buddha pro¬ 
mised to come when it had been provided. 
Sudatta returned to Sravasti and procured a site for the construc¬ 
tion of a vihara. King Prasenajit’s eldest son, Jeta, had a garden or 
park, which Sudatta fixed upon and proposed to purchase, but the 
prince declined to sell it unless enough gold coins were paid to cover 
the ground required. Sudatta complied and had covered nearly all the 
ground when Jeta, stirred by the sacrifice which was being made, de¬ 
clared himself satisfied and asked to be allowed to retain the part which 
was left. On it he built a vestibule, which he presented to the Order, 
when Sudatta presented the vihara which he had built on the rest. 
When the ground had been procured, Sudatta, went again to Buddha 
and asked him to send one of his disciples to superintend the erec¬ 
tion of the vihara. Buddha deputed Sariputta who came to Sravasti 
and encountered much opposition from the members of other Orders, 
but he eventually converted them and they joined the Buddhist Sangha. 
Buddha came to Sravasti when the building was complete and spent 
the ivas of the third year of his ministry here. He named the place by 
two names and gratified both donors : Jetavana after the prince and 
Anathapindadardma after Sudatta. King Prasenajit visited Buddha 
and heard a sermon which led to his conversion. His fifth was was passed 
by the Blessed One at the Jetavana, and out of the remaining forty-six 
