Ashokavadana

Annotated sections of the Ashokavadana are part of Rajendralala Mitra's (1822–91) "The Sanskrit Buddhist Literature of Nepal".

[9] 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.

The Buddha then predicted that several years after his parinirvana, the boy would be born as a chakravarti king ruling from Pataliputra.

Ashoka's fame is largely due to his "pillar and rock" edicts, which allowed him to reach a wide audience and left a lasting historical record.

He is remembered as a model ruler, controlling a vast and diverse Mauryan empire through peace and respect, with dharma at the centre of his ideology.

[11] The text then narrates the story of Ashoka's son Kunala: the prince is a handsome and righteous man loved by his father.

On his deathbed, his only possession is half of a myrobalan fruit, which he offers to the Buddhist sangha (monastic community) as his final donation.

In one instance, a non-Buddhist in Pundravardhana drew a picture showing the Buddha bowing at the feet of Nirgrantha Jnatiputra (identified with Mahavira, the 24th Arihant of Jainism).

[15] According to K. T. S. Sarao and Benimadhab Barua, stories of persecutions of rival sects by Ashoka appear to be a clear fabrication arising out of sectarian propaganda.

[19] The Ashokavadana ends with the story of Pushyamitra (185–151 BCE), the Shunga king whose rule succeeded the Mauryan empire[20] and whom it describes as a descendant of Ashoka.

...After some time, he arrived in Sakala, and proclaimed that he would give a... reward to whoever brought him the head of a Buddhist monk.Like other portions of the text, these accounts are regarded by many historians as being exaggerated.