Buddha-Carita [sanskrit]

by E. B. Cowell | 2003 | 11,474 words | ISBN-10: 8187418788 | ISBN-13: 9788187418788

The Buddha Carita (Saddharma-pundarika) by Asvaghosa a famous Sanskrit text revolving around the live and exploits of the Buddha. The Buddha Carita (Buddhacarita) is written in the style of a Kavya (or Mahakavya, epic poetry) and extant original Sanskrit text consists of roughly 1,000 metrical verses.

tato muhūrte 'bhyudite jagaccakṣuṣi bhāskare |
bhārgavasyāśramapadaṃ sa dadarśa nṛṇāṃ varaḥ || 1 ||
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suptaviśvastahariṇaṃ svasthasthitavihaṅgamam |
viśrānta iva yaddṛṣṭā kṛtārtha iva cābhavat || 2 ||
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sa vismayanivṛttyarthaṃ tapaḥpūjārthameva ca |
svāṃ cānuvartitāṃ rakṣannaśvapṛṣṭhādavātarat || 3 ||
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avatīrya ca pasparśa nistīrṇamiti vājinam |
chandakaṃ cābravīt prītaḥ snāpayanniva cakṣuṣā || 4 ||
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imaṃ tārkṣyopamajavaṃ turaṅgamanugacchatā |
darśitā saumya madbhaktirvikramaścāyamātmanaḥ || 5 ||
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sarvathāsmyanyakāryo 'pi gṛhīto bhavatā hṛdi |
bhartṛsnehaśca yasyāyamīdṛśaḥ śakta eva ca || 6 ||
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asnigdho 'pi samartho 'sti niḥsāmarthyo 'pi bhaktimān |
bhaktimāṃscaiva śaktaśca durlabhastvadvidho bhuvi || 7 ||
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tatprīto 'smi tavānena mahābhāgena karmaṇā |
dṛśyate mayi bhāvo 'yaṃ phalebhyo 'pi parāṅmukhe || 8 ||
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ko janasya phalasthasya na syādabhimukho janaḥ |
janībhavati bhūyiṣṭhaṃ svajano 'pi viparyaye || 9 ||
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kulārthaṃ dhāryate putraḥ poṣārthaṃ sevyate pitā |
āśayāśliṣyati jagannāsti niṣkāraṇāsvatā || 10 ||
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kimuktvā bahu saṅkṣepātkṛtaṃ me sumahatpriyam |
nivartasvāśvamādāya samprāpto 'smīpsitaṃ vanam || 11 ||
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ityuktvā sa mahābāhuranuśaṃsacikīrṣayā |
bhūṣaṇānyavamucyāsmai santaptamanase dadau || 12 ||
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mukuṭoddīptakarmāṇaṃ maṇimādāya bhāsvaram |
bruvan vākyamidaṃ tasthau sāditya iva mandaraḥ || 13 ||
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anena maṇinā chanda praṇamya bahuśo nṛpaḥ |
vijñāpyo 'muktaviśrambhaṃ santāpavinivṛttaye || 14 ||
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jarāmaraṇanāśārthaṃ praviṣṭo 'smi tapovanam |
na khalu svargatarṣeṇa nāsnehena na manyunā || 15 ||
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tadevamabhiniṣkrāntaṃ na māṃ śocitumarhasi |
bhūtvāpi hi ciraṃ śleṣaḥ kālena na bhaviṣyati || 16 ||
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dhruvo yasmācca viśleṣastasmānmokṣāya me matiḥ |
viprayogaḥ kathaṃ na syādbhūyo 'pi svajanādibhiḥ || 17 ||
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śokatyāgāya niṣkrāntaṃ na māṃ śocitumarhasi |
śokahetuṣu kāmeṣu saktāḥ śocyāstu rāgiṇaḥ || 18 ||
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ayaṃ ca kila pūrveṣāmasmākaṃ niścayaḥ sthiraḥ |
iti dāyādabhūtena na śocyo 'smi pathā vrajan || 19 ||
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bhavanti hyarthadāyādāḥ puruṣasya viparyaye |
pṛthivyāṃ dharmadāyādā durlabhāstu na santi vā || 20 ||
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yadapi syādasamaye yāto vanamasāviti |
akālo nāsti dharmasya jīvite cañcale sati || 21 ||
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tasmādadyaiva me śreyaścetavyamiti niścayaḥ |
jīvite ko hi viśrambho mṛtyau pratyarthini sthite || 22 ||
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evamādi tvayā saumya vijñāpyo vasudhādhipaḥ |
prayatethāstathā caiva yathā māṃ na smaredapi || 23 ||
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api nairguṇyamasmākaṃ vācyaṃ narapatau tvayā |
nairguṇyāttyajyate snehaḥ snehatyāgānna śocyate || 24 ||
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iti vākyamidaṃ śrutvā chandaḥ santāpaviklavaḥ |
vāṣpagrathitayā vācā pratyuvāca kṛtāñjaliḥ || 25 ||
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anena tava bhāvena bāndhavāyāsadāyinā |
bhartaḥ sīdati me ceto nadīpaṅka iva dvipaḥ || 26 ||
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kasya notpādayedvāṣpaṃ niścayaste 'yamīdṛśaḥ |
ayomaye 'pi hṛdaye kiṃ punaḥ snehaviklave || 27 ||
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vimānaśayanārhaṃ hi saukumāryamidaṃ kva ca |
kharadarbhāṅkuravatī tapovanamahī kva ca || 28 ||
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śrutvā tu vyavasāyaṃ te yadaśvo 'yaṃ mayā hṛtaḥ |
balātkāreṇa tannātha daivenaivāsmi kāritaḥ || 29 ||
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kathaṃ hyātmavaśo jānan vyavasāyamimaṃ tava |
upānayeyaṃ turagaṃ śokaṃ kapilavastunaḥ || 30 ||
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tannārhasi mahābāho vihātuṃ putralālasam |
snigdhaṃ vṛddhaṃ ca rājānaṃ saddharmamiva nāstikaḥ || 31 ||
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saṃvardhanapariśrāntāṃ dvitīyāṃ tāṃ ca mātaram |
deva nārhasi vismartuṃ kṛtaghna iva satkriyām || 32 ||
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bālaputrāṃ guṇavatīṃ kulaślāghyāṃ pativratām |
devīmarhasi na tyaktuṃ klīvaḥ prāptāmiva śriyam || 33 ||
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putraṃ yāśodharaṃ ślāghyaṃ yaśodharmabhṛtāṃ varaḥ |
bālamarhasi na tyaktuṃ vyasanīvottamaṃ yaśaḥ || 34 ||
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atha bandhuṃ ca rājyaṃ ca tyaktumeva kṛtā matiḥ |
māṃ nārhasi vibho tyaktuṃ tvatpādau hi gatirmama || 35 ||
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nāsmi yātuṃ puraṃ śakto dahyamānena cetasā |
tvāmaraṇye parityajya sumitra iva rāghavam || 36 ||
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kiṃ hi vakṣyati rājā māṃ tvadṛte nagaraṃ gatam |
vakṣyāmyucitadarśitvātkiṃ tavāntaḥpurāṇi vā || 37 ||
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yadapyātthāpi nairguṇyaṃ vācyaṃ narapatāviti |
kiṃ tadvakṣyāmyabhūtaṃ te nirdoṣasya muneriva || 38 ||
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hṛdayena salajjena jihvayā sajjamānayā |
ahaṃ yadyapi vā brūyāṃ kastacchraddhātumarhati || 39 ||
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yo hi candramasastaikṣṇya kathayecchraddadhīta vā |
sa doṣāṃstava doṣajña kathayecchraddadhīta vā || 40 ||
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sānukrośasya satataṃ nityaṃ karuṇavedinaḥ |
snigdhatyāgo na sadṛśo nivartasva prasīda me || 41 ||
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iti śokābhibhūtasya śrutvā chandasya bhāṣitam |
svasthaḥ paramayā dhṛtyā jagāda vadatāṃ varaḥ || 42 ||
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madviyogaṃ prati cchanda santāpastyajyatāmayam |
nānābhāvo hi niyataṃ pṛthagjātiṣu dehiṣu || 43 ||
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svajanaṃ yadyapi snehānna tyajeyaṃ mumukṣayā |
mṛtyuranyonyamavaśānasmān santyājayiṣyati || 44 ||
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mahatyā tṛṣṇayā duḥkhairgarbheṇāsmi yayā dhṛtaḥ |
tasyā niṣphalayatnāyāḥ kvāhaṃ mātuḥ kva sā mama || 45 ||
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vāsavṛkṣe samāgamya vigacchanti yathāṇḍajāḥ |
niyataṃ viprayogāntastathā bhūtasamāgamaḥ || 46 ||
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sametya ca yathā bhūyo vyapayānti valāhakāḥ |
saṃyogo viprayogaśca tathā me prāṇināṃ mataḥ || 47 ||
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yasmādyāti ca loko 'yaṃ vipralabhya parasparam |
mamatvaṃ na kṣamaṃ tasmātsvapnabhūte samāgame || 48 ||
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sahajena viyujyante parṇarāgeṇa pādapāḥ |
anyenānyasya viśleṣaḥ kiṃ punarna bhaviṣyati || 49 ||
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tadevaṃ sati santāpaṃ mā kārṣīḥ saumya gamyatām |
lambate yadi tu sneho gatvāpi punarāvraja || 50 ||
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brūyāścāsmāsvanākṣepaṃ janaṃ kapilavastuni |
tyajyatāṃ tadgataḥ snehaḥ śrūyatāṃ cāsya niścayaḥ || 51 ||
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kṣiprameṣyati vā kṛtvā jarāmṛtyukṣayaṃ kila |
akṛtārtho nirālambo nidhanaṃ yāsyatīti vā || 52 ||
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iti tasya vacaḥ śrutvā kanthakasturagottamaḥ |
jihvayā lilihe pādau vāṣpamuṣṇaṃ mumoca ca || 53 ||
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jālinā svastikāṅkena vakramadhyena pāṇinā |
āmamarśa kumārastaṃ babhāṣe ca vayasyavat || 54 ||
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muñca kanthaka mā vāṣpaṃ darśiteyaṃ sadaśvatā |
mṛṣyatāṃ saphalaḥ śīghraṃ śramaste 'yaṃ bhaviṣyati || 55 ||
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maṇitsaruṃ chandakahastasaṃsthaṃ tataḥ sa dhīro niśitaṃ gṛhītvā |
kośādasiṃ kāñcanabhakticitraṃ vilādivāśīviṣamudbabarha || 56 ||
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niṣkāsya taṃ cotpalapattranīlaṃ ciccheda citraṃ mukuṭaṃ sakeśam |
vikīryamāṇāṃśukamantarīkṣe cikṣepa cainaṃ sarasīva haṃsam || 57 ||
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pūjābhilāṣeṇa ca bāhumānyāddivaukasastaṃ jagṛhuḥ praviddham |
yathāvadenaṃ divi devasaṅghā divyairviśeṣairmahayāṃ ca cakruḥ || 58 ||
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muktvā tvalaṅkārakalatravattāṃ śrīvipravāsaṃ śirasaśca kṛtvā |
dṛṣṭvāṃśukaṃ kāñcanahaṃsacitram vanyaṃ sa dhīro 'bhicakāṅkṣa vāsaḥ || 59 ||
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tato mṛgavyādhavapurdivaukā bhāvaṃ viditvāsya viśuddhabhāvaḥ |
kāṣāyavastro 'bhiyayau samīpaṃ taṃ śākyarājaprabhavo 'bhyuvāca || 60 ||
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śivaṃ ca kāṣāyamṛṣidhvajaste na yujyate hiṃsramidaṃ dhanuśca |
tatsaumya yadyasti na saktiratra mahyaṃ prayacchedamidaṃ gṛhāṇa || 61 ||
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vyādho 'bravītkāmada kāmamārādanena viśvāsya mṛgān nihatya |
arthastu śakropama yadyanena hanta pratīcchānaya śuklametat || 62 ||
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pareṇa harṣeṇa tataḥ sa vanyaṃ jagrāha vāso 'ṃśukamutsasarja |
vyādhastu divyaṃ vapureva bibhrat tacchuklamādāya divaṃ jagāma || 63 ||
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tataḥ kumāraśca sa cāśvagopastasmiṃstathā yāti visismiyāte |
āraṇyake vāsasi caiva bhūyastasminnakārṣṭāṃ bahumānamāśu || 64 ||
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chandaṃ tataḥ sāśrumukhaṃ visṛjya kāṣāyasaṃvidvṛtakīrtibhṛtsaḥ |
yenāśramastena yayau mahātmā sandhyābhrasaṃvīta ivādrirājaḥ || 65 ||
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tatastathā bhartari rājyaniḥspṛhe tapovanaṃ yāti vivarṇavāsasi |
bhujau samutkṣipya tataḥ sa vājibhṛdbhṛśaṃ vicukrośa papāta ca kṣitau || 66 ||
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vilokya bhūyaśca ruroda sasvaraṃ hayaṃ bhujābhyāmupaguhya kanthakam |
tato nirāśo vilapanmuhurmuhuryayau śarīreṇa puraṃ na cetasā || 67 ||
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kvacitpradadhyau vilalāpa ca kvacit kvacitpracaskhāla papāta ca kvacit |
ato vrajan bhaktivaśena duḥkhitaścacāra bahvīravaśaḥ pathi kriyāḥ || 68 ||
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Other editions:

Also see the following editions of the Sanskrit text or (alternative) English translations of the Buddha-carita Chapter 6

Cover of edition (2003)

The Buddha-Carita By Asvaghosa or Acts of Buddha
by E. B. Cowell (2003)

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Cover of edition (2011)

Buddha Carita of Asvaghosa
by Shanti Lal Nagar (2011)

Sanskrit text, English translation, Index of Verse and Photographs of Archaeological Evidence

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Cover of edition (2016)

Asvaghosa’s Buddhacarita or Acts of the Buddha
by E. H. Johnston (2016)

Sanskrit text with English Translation

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