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Concept
Ashokavadana
Summary
The Ashokavadana (अशोकावदान; ; "Narrative of Ashoka") is an Indian Sanskrit-language text that describes the birth and reign of the third Mauryan Emperor Ashoka. It contains legends as well as historical narratives, and glorifies Ashoka as a Buddhist emperor whose only ambition was to spread Buddhism far and wide.
Ashokavadana, also known as Ashokarajavadana, is one of the avadana texts contained in the Divyavadana (Divyāvadāna, "Divine Narrative"), an anthology of several Buddhist legends and 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.
There are several versions of Ashokavadana, dating from 5th century CE to 16th century CE. Some date the earliest finished form of the text back to 2nd century CE, although its oral origins may go back to 2nd century BCE.
The extant version of Ashokavadana is a part of Divyavadana, a Sanskrit-language anthology of Buddhist legends. However, its ancient Chinese translations A-yu wang chuan (c. 300 CE), and A-yu wang ching (c. 512 CE) suggest that it once existed as an independent text.
Ashokavadana was translated into Chinese by An Faqin (安法欽) in 300 CE as A-yu wang chuan (阿育王传, the narrative of King Ashoka), and later as Ayu wang ching (:zh:阿育王经) by Sanghapala in 512 CE. A-yu wang chuan was translated into French by Jean Przyluski in 1923.
Annotated sections of the Ashokavadana are part of Rajendralala Mitra's (1822–91) "The Sanskrit Buddhist Literature of Nepal". Mitra extensively uses the translation made by M. E. Burnouf.
An English translation of Ashokavadana by John S. Strong was published in 1983 by Princeton University (Princeton University Press).
The text begins with the stories about the Buddhist monk Upagupta, who eventually becomes Ashoka's spiritual teacher. It describes one of Upagupta's past lives, his present early life as the son of a perfume merchant in Mathura. It then describes his youth, including his encounters with a courtesan named Vasavadatta.
Official source
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