Ashokavadana [SEP] series
Ashokavadana
The Ashokavadana (; ; "Narrative of Ashoka") is an Indian Sanskrit-language text that describes the birth and reign of the Maurya Emperor Ashoka. It contains legends as well as historical narratives, and glorifies Ashoka as a Buddhist emperor whose only ambition was to spread Buddhism far and wide.
"Ashokavadana," also known as "Ashokarajavadana," is one of the avadana texts contained in the Divyavadana ("Divyāvadāna", "Divine Narrative"), an anthology of several Buddhist legends and narratives.
in Ashoka's rise to the throne. The Ashokavadana recounts Radhagupta's offering of an old royal elephant to Ashoka for him to ride to the Garden of the Gold Pavilion where King Bindusara would determine his successor. Ashoka later got rid of the legitimate heir to the throne by tricking him into entering a pit filled with live coals. Radhagupta, according to the Ashokavadana, would later be appointed prime minister by Ashoka once he had gained the throne. The "Dipavansa" and "Mahavansa" refer to Ashoka's killing 99 of