ASHVAGOSHA
Contents
. Introduction
. Birth and Early Life
. Later Life
. Works of Ashvagosha
. Translation
. Hymns attributed to Ashvagosha
. Conclusion
Introduction
Ashvagosha was a great Buddhist Guru and one of India’s greatest poets. He epitomised the movement wherein Buddhists were using literary and visual arts to draw people towards the ‘Dhamma’ and explain it to them to awaken their faith in Buddhism. Before his conversion to Buddhism, he was a dramatist who lived during the times of Emperor Kanishka of the Kushana Empire. Later on in life as a Buddhist preacher, he used these skills to teach men the meaninglessness of human existence without faith and devotion and the true goal of all sentient beings.
Birth and Early Life
He is said to have been born in 80CE in the first century at Saketa(Ayodhya). He was a follower of Hinduism and a strong opponent of Buddhism. He was a talented writer and composer and from his early youth being adept at Sanskrit, he wrote Sanskrit dramas. He had a deep love for philosophy and this depth and understanding led him to participate in debates with eminent scholars. Being an ardent Hindu, he would participate in debates with philosophers and Buddhist scholars to disprove the Buddhist doctrine.
Later Life
Some sources claim that he was a physician named Matracheta who healed a number of people who became his followers. With his followers he went to Nalanda Monastic Centre where he was defeated by Aryadeva the disciple of Nagarjuna and converted to Buddhism. Initially he was unhappy but on reading the Buddhist doctrines he was highly impressed and sincerely adhered to the teachings and became a realised soul and a very great Buddhist Teacher.
He was named Ashvagosha as it is said that on hearing his sermons, some horses nearby did not even eat the hay strewn in front of them so absorbed were they in the sound of his teachings. Hence the name Ashvaghosa, Ashva meaning horse.
Works Of Ashvagosha
His immortal works include Mahalankara, Buddhacharita, Mahayana Sraddhotpada-Sastra.
The Buddhacharita in lyrical form describes the life of Buddha and the various incidents in his journey towards enlightenment. He compiled the Saundarya Mahakavya, a Sanskrit Compendium based on Buddha’s life and his travails in his early days. It also included the eventual conversion of his detractors to Buddhism especially his step brother Prince Nanda.
His seminal treatise the Mahalankara or the Book Of Glory described Buddha’s awakening to the sufferings of humanity. His Book Sraddhotpada Sastra or the Discourse on the Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana is a poem of about 150 verses.
King Kanishka the ruling King of the Kushana Empire was a patron of Buddhism. He was greatly impressed by the erudite writings and the appealing sermons of Ashvagosha and appointed him as his religious advisor. Ashvagosha delivered sermons all across the Kushana Empire.
Ashvagosha was a great orator and could explain complex concepts of Mahayana Buddhism in a simple and interesting manner.
Translation
Asvagosha’s work is said to have been translated by a Buddhist by the name of Kumarajiva who in 150 CE, four hundred years after Ashvagosha’s death translated all Ashvagosha’s works. Kumarajiva was a resident of Kucha as Western China was known in those days which was a part of the surviving Kushan empire. The Chinese Emperor of Kucha, Yao Xing during one of his military campaigns took Kumarajiva prisoner. Being a patron of Buddhism he recognised Kumarajiva’s knowledge of Chinese, Sanskrit and Buddhist doctrines and bestowed on him the responsibility of translating Buddhist literature into Chinese which included Ashvagosha’s works. Ashvaghosha was referred to in Chinese as Ma Ming.
Guru Panchashika or ‘Fifty Verses of Guru Devotion’ is attributed to Ashvagosha.
Conclusion
Ashvagosha was a Buddhist philosopher, a teacher and a highly exalted soul who initially though a non Buddhist, embraced Buddhism and attained self realisation. He exhorted his followers to transcend the cycles of birth and death and escape grief and suffering by faithfully following the Buddhist principles and attain Nirvana or self realisation which was the the Ultimate goal of all mankind.
