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.

sa rājavatsaḥ pṛthupīnavakṣāstau havyamantrādhikṛtau vihāya |
uttīrya gaṅgāṃ pracalattaraṅgāṃ śrīmadgṛhaṃ rājagṛhaṃ jagāma || 1 ||
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śailaiḥ suguptaṃ ca vibhūṣitaṃ ca dhṛtaṃ ca pūtaṃ ca śivaistapodaiḥ |
pañcācalāṅkaṃ nagaraṃ prapede śāntaḥ svayambhūriva nākapṛṣṭham || 2 ||
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gāmbhīryamojaśca niśāmya tasya vapuśca dīptaṃ puruṣānatītya |
visismiye tatra janastadānīṃ sthāṇuvratasyeva vṛṣadhvajasya || 3 ||
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taṃ prekṣya yo 'nyena yayau sa tasthau yaścātra tasthau pathi so 'nvagacchat |
drutaṃ yayau yaṃ sadayaṃ sadhīraṃ yaḥ kaścidāste sma sa cotpapāta || 4 ||
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kaścittamānarca janaḥ karābhyāṃ satkṛtya kaścicchirasā vavande |
snigdhena kaścidvacasābhyanandannaivaṃ jagāmāpratipūjya kaścit || 5 ||
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taṃ jihriyuḥ prekṣya vicitraveṣāḥ prakīrṇavācaḥ pathi maunamīyuḥ |
dharmasya sākṣādiva saṃnikarṣānna kaścidanyāyamatirbabhūva || 6 ||
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anyakriyāṇāmapi rājamārge strīṇāṃ nṛṇāṃ vā bahumānapūrvam |
tadeva kalpaṃ naradevasūtraṃ nirīkṣamāṇā na tu tasya dṛṣṭiḥ || 7 ||
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bhruvau lalāṭaṃ mukhamīkṣaṇaṃ vā vapuḥ karau vā caraṇau gatiṃ vā |
yadeva yastasya dadarśa tatra tadeva tasyānubabandha cakṣuḥ || 8 ||
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dṛṣṭvā śubhorṇabhruvamāyatākṣaṃ jvalaccharīraṃ śubhajālahastam |
taṃ bhikṣuveśaṃ kṣitipālanārhaṃ sañcukṣubhe rājagṛhasya lakṣmīḥ || 9 ||
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śreṇyo 'tha bhartā magadhājirasya vāhyādvimānādvipulaṃ janaugham |
dadarśa papraccha ca tasya hetuṃ tatastamasmai puruṣaḥ śaśaṃsa || 10 ||
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jñānaṃ paraṃ vā pṛthivīśriyaṃ vā viprairya ukto 'dhigamiṣyatīti |
sa eva śākyādhipatestanūjo nirīkṣyate pravrajito janena || 11 ||
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tataḥ śrutārtho manasā gatārtho rājā babhāṣe puruṣaṃ tameva |
vijñāyatāṃ kva pratigacchatīti tathetyathainaṃ puruṣo 'nvagacchat || 12 ||
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alolacakṣuryugamātradarśī nivṛttavāgyantritamandagāmī |
cacāra bhikṣāṃ sa tu bhikṣuvaryo nidhāya gātrāṇi calaṃ ca cetaḥ || 13 ||
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ādāya bhaikṣaṃ ca yathopapannaṃ yayau gireḥ prasravaṇaṃ viviktam |
nyāyena tatrābhyavahṛtya cainanmahīdharaṃ pāṇḍavamāruroha || 14 ||
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tasminvane lodhravanopagūḍhe mayūranādapratipūrṇakuñje |
kāṣāyavāsāḥ sa babhau nṛsūryo yathodayasyopari bālasūryaḥ || 15 ||
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tatraivamālokya sa rājabhṛtyaḥ śreṇyāya rājñe kathayāṃ cakāra |
saṃśrutya rājā sa ca bāhumānyāttatra pratasthe nibhṛtānuyātraḥ || 16 ||
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sa pāṇḍavaṃ pāṇḍavatulyavīryaḥ śailottamaṃ śailasamānavarṣmā |
maulīdharaḥ siṃhagatirnṛsiṃhaścalatsaṭaḥ siṃha ivāruroha || 17 ||
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calasya tasyopari śṛṅgabhūtaṃ śāntendriyaṃ paśyati bodhisattvam |
paryaṅkamāsthāya virocamānaṃ śaśāṅkamudyantamivābhrakūṭāt || 18 ||
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taṃ rūpalakṣmyā ca śamena caiva dharmasya nirmāṇamivopadiṣṭam |
savismayaḥ praśrayavān narendraḥ svayambhuvaṃ śakra ivopatasthe || 19 ||
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taṃ nyāyato nyāyavatāṃ variṣṭhaḥ sametya papraccha ca dhātusāmyam |
sa cāpyavocatsadṛśena sāmnā nṛpaṃ manaḥsvāsthyamanāmayaṃ ca || 20 ||
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tataḥ śucau vāraṇakarṇanīle śilātale 'sau niṣasāda rājā |
nṛpopaviśyānumataśca tasya bhāvaṃ vijijñāsuridaṃ babhāṣe || 21 ||
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prītiḥ parā me bhavataḥ kulena kramāgatā caiva parīkṣitā ca |
jātā vivakṣā suta yā yato me tasmādidaṃ snehavaco nibodha || 22 ||
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ādityapūrvaṃ vipulaṃ kulaṃ te navaṃ vayo dīptamidaṃ vapuśca |
kasmādiyaṃ te matirakrameṇa bhaikṣāka evābhiratā na rājye || 23 ||
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gātraṃ hi te lohitacandanārhaṃ kāṣāyasaṃśleṣamanarhametat |
hastaḥ prajāpālanayogya eṣa bhoktuṃ na cārhaḥ paradattamannam || 24 ||
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tatsaumya rājyaṃ yadi paitṛkaṃ tvaṃ snehātpiturnecchasi vikrameṇa |
na ca kṣamaṃ marṣayituṃ matiste bhuktvārdhamasmadviṣayasya śīghram || 25 ||
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evaṃ hi na syātsvajanāvamardaḥ kālakrameṇāpi śamaśrayā śrīḥ |
tasmātkuruṣva praṇayaṃ mayi tvaṃ sadbhiḥ sahīyā hi satāṃ samṛddhiḥ || 26 ||
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atha tvidānīṃ kulagarvitatvādasmāsu viśrambhaguṇo na te 'sti |
vyūhānyanekāni vigāhya vāṇairmayā sahāyena parāñjigīṣa || 27 ||
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tadbuddhimatrānyatarāṃ vṛṇīṣva dharmārthakāmān vidhivadbhajasva |
vyatyasya rāgādi ha hi trivargaṃ pretyeha vibhraṃśamavāpnuvanti || 28 ||
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yo hyarthadharmau paripīḍya kāmaḥ syāddharmakāmye paribhūya cārthaḥ |
kāmārthayoścoparameṇa dharmastyājyaḥ sa kṛtsno yadi kāṅkṣitārthaḥ || 29 ||
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tasmāttrivargasya niṣevaṇena tvaṃ rūpametatsaphalaṃ kuruṣva |
dharmārthakāmādhigamaṃ hyanūnaṃ nṛṇāmanūnaṃ puruṣārthamāhuḥ || 30 ||
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tanniṣphalau nārhasi kartumetau pīnau bhujau cāpavikarṣaṇārhau |
māndhātṛvajjetumimau hi yogyau lokāni hi trīṇi hi kiṃ punargām || 31 ||
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snehena khalvetadahaṃ bravīmi naiśvaryarāgeṇa na vismayena |
imaṃ hi dṛṣṭvā tava bhikṣuveśaṃ jātānukampo 'smyapi cāgatāśruḥ || 32 ||
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tadbhuṅkṣva bhikṣāśramakāma kāmānkāle 'si kartā priyadharma dharmam |
yāvatsvavaṃśapratirūparūpaṃ na te jarābhyetyabhibhūya bhūyaḥ || 33 ||
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śaknoti jīrṇaḥ khalu dharmamāptuṃ kāmopabhogeṣvagatirjarāyāḥ |
ataśca yūnaḥ kathayanti kāmānmadhyasya vittaṃ sthavirasya dharmam || 34 ||
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dharmasya cārthasya ca jīvaloke pratyarthibhūtāni hi yauvanāni |
saṃrakṣyamāṇānyapi durgrahāṇi kāmā yatastena yathā haranti || 35 ||
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vayāṃsi jīrṇāni vimarśayanti dhīrāṇyavasthānaparāyaṇāni |
alpena yatnena śamātmakāni bhavantyagatyeva ca lajjayā ca || 36 ||
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ataśca lolaṃ viṣayapradhānaṃ pramattamakṣāntamadīrghadarśi |
bahucchalaṃ yauvanamabhyatītya nistīrya kāntāramivāśvasanti || 37 ||
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tasmādadhīraṃ capalapramādi navaṃ vayastāvadidaṃ vyapaitu |
kāmasya pūrvaṃ hi vayaḥ śaravyaṃ na śakyate rakṣitumindriyebhyaḥ || 38 ||
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athau cikīrṣā tava dharma eva yajasva yajñaṃ kuladharma eṣaḥ |
yajñairadhiṣṭhāya hi nākapṛṣṭhaṃ yayau marutvānapi nākapṛṣṭham || 39 ||
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suvarṇakeyūravidaṣṭabāhavo maṇipradīpojjvalacitramaulayaḥ |
nṛparṣayastāṃ hi gatiṃ gatā makhaiḥ śrameṇa yāmeva mahārṣayo yayuḥ || 40 ||
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ityevaṃ magadhapatirvaco babhāṣe yaḥ samyagvalabhidiva dhruvaṃ babhāṣe |
tacchrutvā na sa vicacāra rājasūnuḥ kailāso giririva naikacitrasānuḥ || 41 ||
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Other editions:

Also see the following editions of the Sanskrit text or (alternative) English translations of the Buddha-carita Chapter 10

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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