Buddhist and Jain traditions on Mauryas

The reconstruction of Mauryan history relies heavily on non-Vedic literary sources, primarily Buddhist and Jain traditions. While Brahmanical texts like the Puranas cast the Mauryas as Shudras or of unrighteous lineage (Vrishala), Buddhist and Jain texts elevate their status, assigning them noble Kshatriya origins and providing detailed accounts of their administration, genealogy, and religious patronage. These traditions offer an alternative socio-political perspective that reflects the shifting religious landscape of ancient India during the 4th to 2nd centuries BCE.

Buddhist Traditions on the Mauryas

Buddhist literature views the Mauryan dynasty through the lens of Dhamma patronage, transforming Chandragupta and Ashoka into central figures of Buddhist ecclesiastical history.

Origin and Lineage

• Kshatriya Status: Textual traditions like the Mahavamsa and Divyavadana reject the Brahmanical view of low origin. They connect the Mauryas to the Moriya clan of Pipphalivana, a noble Kshatriya clan ruling near Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh. The clan name is attributed to the abundance of peacocks (Mayura) in their original territory.
• The Role of Chanakya: The Mahavamsa-Tika details the alliance between Chanakya (Kautilya) and a young Chandragupta, depicting their joint campaign to overthrow the Nanda dynasty of Magadha.

Chandragupta and Bindusara in Buddhist Texts

• Chandragupta Maurya: While primarily celebrated in Jainism, Buddhist texts record Chandragupta as a sovereign who established order after the chaos of Greek invasions and Nanda misrule, though he remained outside the Buddhist fold.
• Bindusara: Known as Amitraghata (Slayer of Foes), Buddhist texts mention that he patronized the Ajivika sect rather than Buddhism. However, his court maintained contacts with various religious philosophers, laying the groundwork for Ashoka’s exposure to heterodox ideas.

The Ashokan Transformation and Patronage

• The Legend of Chandashoka to Dharmashoka: The Ashokavadana (Text of the Divine Ashoka) details his early cruelty, including the construction of a “Hell on Earth” torture chamber, and his subsequent transformation into a benevolent ruler after witnessing the horrors of the Kalinga War and being converted by the Buddhist monk Nigrodha or Upagupta.
• Third Buddhist Council (c. 250 BCE): The Sri Lankan chronicles (Dipavamsa and Mahavamsa) record that Ashoka convened the Third Buddhist Council at Pataliputra under the presidency of Moggaliputta Tissa. The council aimed to purge the Sangha of heretical factions and standardize the Theravada doctrine (Kathavatthu).
• Global Dhamma Missions: Following the council, Ashoka dispatched religious emissaries (Dhamma-mahamatras) to various parts of the world.

• Architectural Patronage: Buddhist traditions credit Ashoka with building 84,000 stupas across the Indian subcontinent, redistributing the original relics of the Buddha from the initial eight stupas.

Jain Traditions on the Mauryas

Jain literary traditions, preserved primarily in the Shvetambara and Digambara canons, focus extensively on the foundation of the Mauryan Empire and the spiritual retirement of its founder.

Origin and Early Life

• Peacock-Tamers Lineage: Acharya Hemachandra’s Parishishtaparvan (a 12th-century Jain text summarizing older traditions) states that Chandragupta was the son of the daughter of a village chief of peacock-tamers (Mayura-poshaka). This aligns with the noble associations of the peacock but frames his early life within a rustic, non-royal context until Chanakya discovered him.
• The Nanda Overthrow: Jain texts describe Chanakya’s deep personal animosity toward the Nanda king due to an insult in the royal court, leading him to groom Chandragupta to systematically dismantle the Nanda economic and military apparatus.

Chandragupta Maurya’s Conversion and Sallekhana

• The Great Famine: According to the Digambara text Brihatkathakosha by Harishena and the inscriptions at Shravanabelagola, a catastrophic 12-year famine struck Magadha toward the end of Chandragupta’s reign.
• Embracing Asceticism: Prompted by the prophecies of the Jain saint Bhadrabahu, Chandragupta abdicated the throne in favor of his son Bindusara. He embraced Jainism as an ascetic and joined Bhadrabahu’s migration to South India.
• Sallekhana at Shravanabelagola: Chandragupta spent his final days at Chandragiri hill in Shravanabelagola (modern-day Karnataka), practicing Sallekhana (or Santhara), the ritual vow of fasting unto death.

Later Mauryan Kings in Jain Tradition

• Samprati (The “Jain Ashoka”): Jain texts ignore Ashoka’s immediate successors and focus heavily on Samprati, the grandson of Ashoka (son of Kunala). Samprati is revered as a great patron of Jainism, credited with building thousands of Jain temples, converting tribal regions to Jainism, and sending Jain monks to South India and Afghanistan to spread the faith.

Comparative Analysis of Traditions

Sources of Evaluation

• Buddhist Canons: Mahavamsa, Dipavamsa, Ashokavadana, Divyavadana, Milinda Panha.
• Jain Canons: Parishishtaparvan (Hemachandra), Vividha-Tirtha-Kalpa (Jinaprabha Suri), Brihatkathakosha (Harishena).

Comparative Perspectives on Key Mauryan Rulers

Historical Trivia for Prelims

Maurya and the Peacock Emblem

The connection between the Mauryas and peacocks highlighted in both Buddhist and Jain texts finds archaeological validation. Peacock motifs are prominently carved on the pillars of Ashoka (such as the Nandangarh pillar) and form a recurrent theme in the monumental art of Sanchi, confirming the dynastic symbol’s roots in these textual traditions.

Kunala’s Blindness

The Ashokavadana narrates that Ashoka’s son Kunala was blinded due to the intrigues of his stepmother Tishyarakshita. The name Kunala was given because his eyes were as beautiful as those of the Himalayan Kunala bird—a detail unique to Buddhist psychological narratives of the Mauryan court.

The Shravanabelagola Inscriptions

The earliest epigraphic evidence linking Chandragupta Maurya to Jainism in the South comes from Srirangapatna and Shravanabelagola inscriptions dating between the 7th and 15th centuries CE. They explicitly pair the names of Bhadrabahu and Chandragupta Munindra (the ascetic Chandragupta), reinforcing the longevity of the Jain historical memory.