Divyavadana
Topic: Buddhism, Jainism and Heterodox Traditions · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Divyāvadāna ("divine stories") is a Sanskrit collection of Buddhist stories. It was put together over several centuries in the early first millennium CE. Its tales teach that good and bad deeds bring their results. It is an important source of later Buddhist legends about the Mauryan and post-Mauryan kings, though it is legend, not exact history.
Example
The Divyāvadāna includes the Aśhokāvadāna, the legends of the emperor Asoka. It also describes Pushyamitra Shunga, the general who overthrew the last Mauryan king (c. second century BCE), as a persecutor of Buddhists who destroyed monasteries.
Don't confuse with
- Dīpavaṁsa and Mahāvaṁsa: these are Pali chronicles from Sri Lanka. The Divyāvadāna is a Sanskrit collection of stories.
- Jātakas: these are stories of the Buddha's earlier lives. The Divyāvadāna is mostly about later followers, kings and how deeds bring results.
Related concepts
- Tipitaka
- Vinaya Pitaka
- Sutta Pitaka
- Abhidhamma Pitaka
- Abhidhamma Divas
- Pali
- Pali classical language
- Buddhist councils
- First Buddhist council
- Second Buddhist council