1878.] Rajendralala Mltra — On the Early Life of AsoTca. 9 



Eugene Burnouf, who drew from it the materials of his invaluable Histoire 

 du Buddliisme Indien. In that work the learned savant notices three MSS. 

 bearing on the life of Asoka. One of them is named Avaddna Sataica, 

 but of it he gives no analysis. According to its name it should contain a 

 hundred legends, but the MS. of it in the Society's Library comprises only 

 ninety tales ; and these do not refer to the history of Asoka. The second 

 work is the Divya Avaddna. It is a prose work, devoted entirely to the 

 life of Asoka, and Burnouf has supplied a complete translation of it ; but 

 the Library of the Society does not possess a MS. of it. The last is the 

 AsoJca Avaddna, and of it the following is a brief abstract. It extends to 

 276 folia, and comprises about ten thousand anushtup verses. Its author's 

 name is not given ; but it professes to have been related by one Jayasri to 

 his disciples at the Kukkuta Vihara, in a garden named Upakanthikarama, on 

 the right bank of the Ganges near Pataliputra. The authority quoted is 

 that of a saint named Upa Gupta, the spiritual guide of the king. The 

 first hundred and five folia of the work are devoted to the life of Asoka, and 

 the rest is made up of tales and anecdotes said to have been related by the 

 saint for the edification of his royal pupil, and to illustrate the morality of 

 the Bauddha religion. 



The work opens with the genealogy of As'oka from Bimbisara, king of 

 Rajagriha, who was a contemporary of S akya. The lineal descendants of 

 Bimbisara were — 



2. Mahipala. 7. Turakuri. 



3. Udayis'a. 8. Mahamandala. 



4. Munda. 9. Prasenajit. 



5. Kakavarni. 10. Nanda. 



6. Sahali. 11. Vindus'ara. 



These names occur in the life of As'oka given in the Divya Avaddna, 

 except the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 7th, which have been differently given, Ajata- 

 satru appearing for Mahipala, Udayin for Udayis'a, Muyin or Udayibhava, 

 for Munda, and Tulakuchi for Turakuri or Turakuvi. In the absence of 

 necessary MSS. it is impossible to ascertain how far these differences are 

 due to copyist's errors. Apparently they are. The lists given in the Pali 

 annals and in the Vishnu Purana are more seriously discrej^ant. They 

 stand thus : — 



Vis. 



\nu Furdna, Vol. IV, pp. 



180-186. 



Mahdioanso, pp. 15-20. 



1. 



S'isunaga. 





1. Ajatasattu. 



2. 



Kakavarna. 





2. Udayibhaddhako. 



3. 



Kshemadharman. 





3. Anuruddhako. 



4. 



Kshattraiyas. 





4. Mundo. 



5. 



Vidmisara, or Bimbisara, 





5. Nagadasako. 



6. 



Ajatasatru. 





6. Susunago. 



