The Ashokavadana (Sanskrit: अशॊकवदन, "Narrative of Ashoka") 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.[2]
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.
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