Ashokavadana
Encyclopedia
The Ashokavadana is a 2nd century CE text related to the legend of the Maurya
Emperor Ashoka the Great
. The legend was translated into Chinese
by Fa Hien
in 300 CE.
The Ashokavadana is one of the texts contained in the Divyavadana
("Divine Narrative"), a compilation of several such narratives.
The Ashokavadana is an account of the birth and reign of King Ashoka. According to the legend, the birth of Ashoka was predicted by the Buddha, in the story, "The Gift of Dust":
Following this prophecy, the Ashokavadana further states that Ashoka was finally born as the son of the Maurya Emperor Bindusara
by a relatively lower ranked queen, the daughter of a poor Brahmin who introduced her into the harem of the Emperor as it was predicted that her son would be a great ruler. Although she was of priestly lineage, the fact that she was not royal by birth made her a very low-status consort in the harem.
The Ashokavadana is also often quoted for its description of the 180 BCE Sunga king Pusyamitra Sunga
as en enemy of the Buddhist faith, which before him had been supported by the Mauryan Empire:
These accounts are regarded by many secular historians as exaggerated. For details on this topic see Decline of Buddhism in India
.
Maurya Empire
The Maurya Empire was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in ancient India, ruled by the Mauryan dynasty from 321 to 185 BC...
Emperor Ashoka the Great
Ashoka
Ashok Maurya or Ashoka , popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was an Indian emperor of the Maurya Dynasty who ruled almost all of the Indian subcontinent from ca. 269 BC to 232 BC. One of India's greatest emperors, Ashoka reigned over most of present-day India after a number of military conquests...
. The legend was translated into Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
by Fa Hien
Faxian
Faxian was a Chinese Buddhist monk who traveled to India, Sri Lanka and Kapilavastu in today's Nepal between 399 and 412 to acquire Buddhist scriptures...
in 300 CE.
The Ashokavadana is one of the texts contained in the Divyavadana
Divyavadana
The Divyāvadāna, or Divine Stories, is an anthology of Buddhist tales, many originating in the Mūlasarvāstivāda vinaya texts. The stories themselves are therefore quite ancient and may be among the first Buddhist texts ever committed to writing, but this particular collection of them is not...
("Divine Narrative"), a compilation of several such narratives.
The Ashokavadana is an account of the birth and reign of King Ashoka. According to the legend, the birth of Ashoka was predicted by the Buddha, in the story, "The Gift of Dust":
- "A hundred years after my death there will be an emperor named Ashoka in Pataliputra. He will rule one of the four continents and adorn Jambudvipa with my relics, building eighty four thousand stupas for the welfare of people. He will have them honored by gods and men. His fame will be widespread. His meritorious gift was just this: Jaya threw a handful of dust into the Tathaagata's bowl." Sayings of the Buddha according to the Ashokavadana
Following this prophecy, the Ashokavadana further states that Ashoka was finally born as the son of the Maurya Emperor Bindusara
Bindusara
Bindusara was the second Mauryan emperor after Chandragupta Maurya. During his reign, the empire expanded southwards. He had two well-known sons, Susima and Ashoka, who were the viceroys of Taxila and Ujjain...
by a relatively lower ranked queen, the daughter of a poor Brahmin who introduced her into the harem of the Emperor as it was predicted that her son would be a great ruler. Although she was of priestly lineage, the fact that she was not royal by birth made her a very low-status consort in the harem.
The Ashokavadana is also often quoted for its description of the 180 BCE Sunga king Pusyamitra Sunga
Pusyamitra Sunga
Pusyamitra Sunga was the founder and first King of the Sunga Dynasty in Northern India.Pusyamitra Sunga was originally a Senapati of the Mauryan empire. In 185 BCE he assassinated the last Mauryan Emperor during an army review, and proclaimed himself King...
as en enemy of the Buddhist faith, which before him had been supported by the Mauryan Empire:
- "Then King Pusyamitra equipped a fourfold army, and intending to destroy the Buddhist religion, he went to the KukkutaramaKukkutaramaKukkutarama was a Buddhist monastery in Pataliputra in eastern India, which is famous as the location of various "Discourses at the Kukkutarama Monastery", and for the eponymous "Kukkutarama sutra"...
. (...) Pusyamitra therefore destroyed the sangharamaSangharamaSangharama is a Sanskrit word meaning "temple" or "monastery", the place, including its garden or grove, where dwells the Buddhist monastic community . A famous sangharama was that of Kukkutarama in Pataliputra. The Kukkutura sangharama was later destroyed and its monks killed by Pusyamitra Sunga,...
, killed the monks there, and departed. - After some time, he arrived in SakalaSagalaSagala or Sangala, the ancient Greek name for the modern city of Sialkot in present day Pakistan, was a city of located in northern Punjab, Pakistan...
, and proclaimed that he would give a hundred dinara reward to whoever brought him the head of a Buddhist monk" Ashokavadana, 133, trans. John Strong.
These accounts are regarded by many secular historians as exaggerated. For details on this topic see Decline of Buddhism in India
Decline of Buddhism in India
The decline of Buddhism in India, the land of its birth, occurred for a variety of reasons, and happened even as it continued to flourish beyond the frontiers of India. Buddhism was established in the area of ancient Magadha and Kosala by Gautama Buddha in the 6th century BCE, in what is now modern...
.