Literary History of Sanskrit Buddhism

Avadāna – 77
legends in these Avadānamālās have been shaped in the form of
conversations between Aśoka and Upagupta. The Aśokavadānamālā
in its first part contains legends of Aśoka himself, then only follow
religious instruction in the shape of historical narratives related by
Upagupta to Aśoka. Now all these three collections differ from the
Avadānaśataka not only in the circumstance that they have been cast
entirely in epic ślokas, but especially in that they belong
unequivocally to the Mahāyāna and in language and style remind
one of the Purāṇas. Besides, they must belong also to the period
which gave birth to the sectarian Purāṇas. It may be noted that as has
been shown by Waddell (Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal
proceedings, 1899, p. 70 ff.) Upagupta is only another name of Tissa
Moggaliputta, the preceptor of Aśoka. He is also a well-known
celebrity in Pāḷi literature.
Another collection which has liberally drawn upon the
Avadānaśataka is the Dvaviṁśatyavadāna or the Avadāna of the
Twenty-two Sections. Here also Upagupta is represented as holding
dialogues with Aśoka, but they soon disappear from the stage and
their place is occupied by Śākyamuni and Maitreya, the Buddha of
the present period and the Buddha to come. But the legends here are
related in prose and have been divided into sections in accordance
with the morals inculcated by each. They deal with “acts of merit,”
“listening to sermons,” “liberality,” and so forth.
The [61] Bhadrakalpāvadāna is a collection of thirty-four legends
which Upagupta relates to Aśoka. Its title connects the avadānas
with the age of virtue. It is similar to the Avadānamālās in that it is
entirely in verse. But in plan and contents it bears a resemblance to
the Mahāvagga of the Pāḷi Vinayapiṭaka.