Ajātaśatru

Ajātaśatru (P. Ajātasattu; T. ma skyes dgra; C. Asheshi wang; J. Ajase ō; K. Asase wang 阿闍世王) was the son of King Bimbisāra of Magadha who succeeded his father to the throne. As a young prince, Ajātaśatru fell under the influence of Devadatta, a jealous rival of the Gautama Buddha. Devadatta convinced Ajātaśatru to kill his father and take over the throne, and then convinced Ajātaśatru to attempt to to kill the Buddha. Ajātaśatru's attempts on the Buddha's life failed, and Ajātaśatru later repented and became a disciple of the Buddha.

See also

• Sāmaññaphala Sutta
• Ajātaśatrukaukṛtyavinodana

Further reading

• Story of King Ajātasattu, in The Great Chronicle of Buddhas, wisdomlib.org
• Ajātasattu, palikanon.com
• Robert E. Buswell Jr., Donald S. Lopez Jr., The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism (Princeton: 2014), s.v. Ajātaśatru