also spelled Ashvaghosa philosopher and poet who is considered India's greatest poet before K─lid─sa (5th century) and the father of Sanskrit drama; he popularized the style of Sanskrit poetry known as k─vya. A?vagho?a was born a Brahman. Legend obscures the man, but it is known that he was an outspoken opponent of Buddhism until, after a heated debate with a noted Buddhist scholar on the relative merits of the Ved─ntic (Hindu) religion and the middle path (Buddhism), he accepted the value of Buddhism and became a disciple of his erstwhile opponent. While in V─r─nasi (Benares), where Gautama Buddha had preached his first sermon, A?vagho?a saw the city conquered by the Kushan (Ku?─?a) emperor Kani?ka, a devout Buddhist. A huge war indemnity was demanded, and the ruler of V─r─nasi handed over instead a symbolic tribute, a begging bowl said to have been used by both the Buddha and A?vagho?a. Apparently the philosopher rose to the position of spiritual counsellor in Kani?ka's court at Pesh─war. A brilliant orator, A?vagho?a spoke at length on Mah─y─na (Greater Vehicle) Buddhist doctrine at the fourth Buddhist council, which he helped organize. His fame lay largely in his ability to explain the intricate concepts of Mah─y─na Buddhism. Among the works attributed to him are the Mah─y─na-?raddhotp─da-?─stra (“The Awakening of Faith in the Mah─y─na”), the Buddhacarita (“The Life of Buddha”) in verse, and the Mah─la?kara (“Book of Glory”). |