Ashokavadana

Ashokavadana
अशोकावदान
AuthorPossibly Buddhist monks of the Mathura region
LanguageSanskrit
SeriesDivyavadana
SubjectLife of King Ashoka
GenreFictional narrative
Publication date
4-5th century[1]

The Ashokavadana (Sanskrit: अशोकावदान; IAST: Aśokāvadāna; "Narrative of Ashoka") is an Indian Sanskrit-language text that describes the birth and reign of the third Mauryan Emperor Ashoka. It glorifies Ashoka as a Buddhist emperor whose only ambition was to spread Buddhism far and wide.[2]

Ashokavadana, also known as Ashokarajavadana, is one of the avadana texts contained in the Divyavadana (Divyāvadāna, "Divine Narrative"), an anthology of several Buddhist narratives. According to Jean Przyluski, the text was composed by the Buddhist monks of the Mathura region, as it highly praises the city of Mathura, its monasteries, and its monks.[3][4]

  1. ^ Kurt A. Behrendt, ed. (2007). The Art of Gandhara in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Metropolitan Museum of Art. p. 44. ISBN 9781588392244.
  2. ^ Kenneth Pletcher (15 August 2010). The History of India. The Rosen Publishing Group. p. 74. ISBN 978-1-61530-122-5. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  3. ^ Jean Przyluski (1923). La légende de l'empereur Açoka (Açoka-Avadâna) dans les textes indiens et chinois (in French). 1924. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  4. ^ Upinder Singh 2008, p. 332.