With the banning of animal sacrifice in Madra under the orders of the righteous King Milinda, the charm and importance of yajna had diminished considerably. But when the caste system was revived in Magadh, the long-abandoned ritual of blood sacrifices was again observed in Madra with great enthusiasm. Once again the Brahmin priests, long since unused to performing and conducting sacrifices, donned the marks of their caste—the top knot, the sacred thread and the tilak² on their foreheads. The air of Sagal was thick with the smell of the oblations in the sacrificial fires—barley, sesame seeds, coriander, ghee and the flesh of sacrificial animals. Once again the air resounded with the sounds of musical instruments of worship—the conch shell, the gong, the cymbals and the kettledrum.

In reaction to the revival of the caste system, the Buddhist monasteries began to hum with activity like disturbed beehives. They were thronged by the landlords, who had been the recipients of gifts of lands from the righteous King Milinda, and by the thousands of Buddhist mendicants receiving alms from the Nirvana-aspiring votaries of the Buddhist faith. In the monasteries, chants in front of the Buddha grew louder and were heard for longer periods of time. To awaken the citizens who had strayed on to the sinful path of animal sacrifice, hundreds of bhikshus began to walk through the streets chanting religious verses and delivering the message of their faith: ‘Come to the fold of the bhikkus, for the good of many, for the comfort of many, for the compassion for all.’

It was the month of Shravan and the sky of Sagal was overcast with monsoon clouds. A heavy downpour resulted in waterlogged streets and the life in the town became sluggish. After the rains, the scorching heat made the stone houses and streets unbearably hot. Oppressed by the heat and unhappy at the lack of social activity, the inhabitants of the city, rich and poor alike, headed towards the groves and parks. But rain clouds would gather again and sudden showers would force people to run for shelter to their houses.

The mental state of the people of Sagal was much the same. Many were perturbed by the daily wranglings between the Brahmins, eager to resurrect the caste system through the power of religious sacrifices, and the adherents of Buddhism. Men of higher castes were apprehensive lest the spread of what they considered to be irresponsible doctrines, such as disbelief in the other world, preached by men like Marish who had shed their fear of god and of divine retribution, should lead to improper conduct by the people. There was an uneasy calm in the public when Marish raised his voice against a levy for animal sacrifice and when he was punished by the Chief Justice for refusing to carve the images of the Buddha in accordance with the instructions of the head of the monastery.

The judgment, therefore, on the dispute that had taken place on the evening of the Festival of Spring between Rudradhir and Prithusen was virtually shelved for fear of serious consequences. The question of the appointment of new officers in the army of Madra had also been put on hold in the Council, because of rivalries among some of the prominent families. But the main cause of tension was the news that the state was about to be attacked from the north-east by Kendras, the Greek ruler of Darva.