Indian Buddhist Biographies (1)

This very interesting blog entry posted on earlyTibet kickstarted some thoughts about Indian Buddhist biographies. I could not come up with that many off the top of my head, so Sam's assertion, namely that:

"The vast amount of biographical and autobiographical literature produced in Tibet over the centuries is an interesting phenomenon. For a culture so pervaded by the Buddha’s teaching of non-self, there is an awful lot of writing about the lives of individuals. And, interestingly, this is something that was not done to the same extent in India, the primary source of Tibetan Buddhism."

is probably correct. Note, however, that he did say "to the same extent in India". Indeed, "biographies" of Indian Buddhists do exist and some of them are absolutely fascinating. True, there are not that many. Here is one of my favourites from the time of Devapāla (most likely around 810-840 CE). The inscription is usually referred to as the Ghosrawa inscription. It celebrates the life, endowments, and career of one Vīradeva, a native of Nagarahāra (Nangarhar in today's Afghanistan).

Copy of an estampage as published in the Gauḍalekhamālā.

The text is remarkably rich in biographical details. We come to know that Vīradeva's father was one Indragupta, who became a confidante of the king (who is unfortunately not named). He had a faithful wife, Rajjekā (or perhaps: Rajjokā). Their son proved to be a very intelligent boy and he displayed lack of interest in this-worldly affairs from a very early age. After his Vedic studies he went to the Kaniṣka monastery (in today's Peshawar) and became a student of one Sarvajñaśānti. At some point he came to Mahābodhi to bow to the Vajrāsana. After he had done so he went to meet his compatriot monks at the Yaśovarmapura monastery (this toponym to my knowledge is still unidentified). He became so famous that he was venerated by Devapāla himself. Later on he was appointed to a high office at Nālandā and became a munificent donor for several important buildings.

(For editions see Kielhorn in Indian Antiquary vol. XVII - which I do not have at hand now -; the Gauḍalekhamālā, and Tsukamoto's wonderful collection of Indian Buddhist inscriptions. Here I tried to follow the estampage as much as possible, but several problems remain. Bear with me until I get hold of Kielhorn's article.)


@ śrīmān asau jayati sattvahitapravṛtta-
sanmānasādhigatatattvanayo munīndraḥ| 
kleśātmanāṃ duritanakradurāsadāntaḥ 
saṃsārasāgarasamuttaraṇaikasetuḥ|| 1


asyāsmadguravo babhūvur abalāḥ saṃbhūya hartuṃ manaḥ 
kā lajjā yadi kevalo na balavān asmi trilokaprabhau| 
ity ālocayateva mānasabhuvā yo dūrato varjitaḥ 
śrīmān viśvam aśeṣam etad avatād bodhau sa vajrāsanaḥ|| 2


asty Uttarāpathavibhūṣaṇabhūtabhūmir 
deśottamo Nagarahāra iti pratītaḥ| 
tatra dvijātir uditoditavaṃśajanmā 
nāmnEndragupta iti rājasakho babhūva|| 3


Rajjekayā dvijavaraḥ sa guṇī gṛhiṇyā 
yukto rarāja kalayāmalayā yathenduḥ| 
lokaḥ pativratakathāparibhāvanāsu 
saṃkīrtanaṃ prathamam eva karoti yasyāḥ|| 4 


tābhyām ajāyata sutaḥ sutarāṃ vivekī 
yo bāla eva kalitaḥ paralokabuddhyā| 
sarvopabhogasubhage 'pi gṛhe viraktaḥ 
pravrajyayā sugataśāsanam abhyupetum|| 5 


vedān adhītya sakalān kṛtaśāstracintaḥ 
śrīmatKaniṣkam upagamya mahāvihāram| 
ācāryavaryam atha sa praśamapraśasyaṃ 
Sarvajñaśāntim anugamya tapaś cacāra|| 6 


so 'yaṃ viśuddhaguṇasaṃbhṛtabhūrikīrteḥ 
śiṣyo 'nurūpaguṇaśīlayaśo'bhirāmaḥ| 
bālenduvat kalikalaṅkavimuktakāntir 
vandyaḥ sadā munijanair api Vīradevaḥ|| 7 


Vajrāsanaṃ vanditum ekadā'tha 
śrīmanMahābodhim upāgato 'sau|
draṣṭuṃ tato 'gāt sahadeśibhikṣūn 
śrīmadYaśovarmapuraṃ vihāram|| 8 


tiṣṭhann atheha suciraṃ pratipattisāraḥ 
śrīDevapālabhuvanādhipalabdhapūjaḥ| 
prāptaprabhaḥ pratidinodayapūritāśaḥ 
pūṣeva dāritatamaḥprasaro rarāja|| 9 


bhikṣor ātmasamaḥ suhṛd bhuja iva śrīSatyabodher nijo 
Nālandāparipālanāya niyataḥ saṅghasthiter yaḥ sthitaḥ| 
yenaitau sphuṭam IndraśailamukuṭaŚrīcaityacūḍāmaṇī 
śrāmaṇyavratasaṃvṛtena jagataḥ śreyo'rtham utthāpitau|| 10 


Nālandayā ca paripālitayeha satyā 
śrīmadvihāraparihāravibhūṣitāṅgyā| 
udbhāsito 'pi bahukīrtivadhūpatitve 
yaḥ sādhu sādhur iti sādhujanaiḥ praśastaḥ|| 11


cintājvaraṃ śamayatārtajanasya dṛṣṭyā 
Dhanvantarer api hi yena hataḥ prabhāvaḥ| 
yaś cepsitārthaparipūrṇamanorathena 
lokena kalpatarutulyatayā gṛhītaḥ|| 12 


tenaitad atra kṛtam ātmamanovad uccair 
Vajrāsanasya bhavanaṃ bhuvanottamasya| 
saṃjāyate yad abhivīkṣya vimānagānāṃ 
KailāsaMandaramahīdharaśṛṅgaśaṅkā|| 13 


sarvasvopanayena sattvasuhṛdām audāryam abhyasyatā 
saṃbodhau vihitaspṛhaṃ saha guṇair visparddhivīryaṃ tathā| 
atrasthena nije nijāv iha bṛhatpuṇyādhikāre sthite 
yena svena yaśodhvajena ghaṭitau vaṃśāv Udīcīpathe|| 14 


sopānamārgam iva{ṃ} muktipurasya kīrtim 
etāṃ vidhāya kuśalaṃ yad upāttam asmāt| 
kṛtvāditaḥ sapitaraṃ guruvargam asya 
saṃbodhim etu janarāśir aśeṣa eva|| 15 


yāvat kūrmo jaladhivalayāṃ bhūtadhātrīṃ bibharti 
dhvāntadhvaṃsī tapati tapano yāvad evograraśmiḥ| 
snigdhā lokāḥ śiśiramahasā yāmavatyaś ca yāvat 
tāvat kīrtir jayatu bhuvane Vīradevasya śubhrā|| 16