ASVAGHOSA

born AD 80, ?, Ayodhya, India died 150?, Peshawar also spelled Ashvaghosa philosopher and poet who is considered India's greatest poet before Kalidasa (5th century) and the father of Sanskrit drama; he popularized the style of Sanskrit poetry known as kavya. Asvaghosa 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 Vedantic (Hindu) religion and the middle path (Buddhism), he accepted the value of Buddhism and became a disciple of his erstwhile opponent. While in Varanasi (Benares), where Gautama Buddha had preached his first sermon, Asvaghosa saw the city conquered by the Kushan (Kusana) emperor Kaniska, a devout Buddhist. A huge war indemnity was demanded, and the ruler of Varanasi handed over instead a symbolic tribute, a begging bowl said to have been used by both the Buddha and Asvaghosa. Apparently the philosopher rose to the position of spiritual counsellor in Kaniska's court at Peshawar. A brilliant orator, Asvaghosa spoke at length on Mahayana (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 Mahayana Buddhism. Among the works attributed to him are the Mahayana-sraddhotpada-sastra (The Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana), the Buddhacarita (The Life of Buddha) in verse, and the Mahalankara (Book of Glory).