The State in Ancient India: A Study in the Structure and Practical Working of Political Institutions in North India in Ancient Times c13.77

c13.77

The best traditions of Kushân rule are perhaps reflected in the writings of Aśvaghoṣa, one of the greatest figures in the Sanskrit Literature of Buddhism. Sprung from a Brâhmaṇa family, he was a master of Sanskrit learning. According to tradition, he was carried off by Kaniṣka from Pâṭaliputra to adorn his court at Puruṣapur. At any rate, the two were contemporaries. As Sylvain Lévi puts it, Aśvaghoṣa’s Sutrâlaṅkâra, along with his Buddhacarita, constitutes the first chronological land-mark in the literary history of India. He is probably the forerunner of Kâlidâsa and stands at the head of classical Sanskrit literature.¹ According to Târânâtha, he is identical with the author Mâtṛceṭâ. In his Saundara Nandam Kâvyam, Aśvaghoṣa testifies to the supreme need, the indispensability, of the kingship.