Question

Which one is not a creation of Aśvaghoṣa?

• A. Vajrasūcī
• B. Buddhacarita
• C. Saundarananda
• D. Rāmāyaṇa

Hint:

To remember Aśvaghoṣa's works, use the mnemonic "B-S-V-S": Buddhacarita, Saundarananda, Vajrasūcī, and Śāriputraprakaraṇa (his famous drama discovered in fragments). Any "Itihāsa" text like Rāmāyaṇa or Mahābhārata will always be the incorrect choice for his authorship.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Concept: Aśvaghoṣa (c. 80 – 150 CE) was a philosopher, poet, and dramatist who is considered one of the greatest Sanskrit authors before Kālidāsa. He was the spiritual counselor to the Kushan Emperor Kaniṣka. His works are characterized by the "Kāvya" style, used to propagate Buddhist teachings through sophisticated literature. To answer this question, we must distinguish his authentic and traditionally attributed works from the foundational epics of ancient India.

Step 1: Evaluating Aśvaghoṣa's major epic poems.
Aśvaghoṣa is most famous for two major Mahākāvyas (epic poems):
• Buddhacarita (Acts of the Buddha): This is his most celebrated work, an epic poem that narrates the life of Gautama Buddha from his birth to his enlightenment and the spread of his teachings. It is a masterpiece of early Sanskrit Kāvya.
• Saundarananda (Handsome Nanda): This epic poem tells the story of the conversion of Nanda, the half-brother of the Buddha. It focuses on the struggle between worldly love and spiritual liberation, ending with Nanda's ordination as a monk. Since options (2) and (3) are his primary works, they are "creations of Aśvaghoṣa."

Step 2: Analyzing 'Vajrasūcī'.
Vajrasūcī (The Diamond Needle) is a short but powerful polemical treatise. It is a social critique that challenges the caste system (Varṇa-vyavasthā) by citing various Vedic and Brahmanical scriptures to prove that Brahminhood is based on character and spiritual realization rather than birth. While some modern scholars debate its authorship, it has been traditionally attributed to Aśvaghoṣa for centuries in both Indian and Chinese traditions. Therefore, in the context of standard Sanskrit literature exams, it is counted as his work.

Step 3: Identifying the 'Rāmāyaṇa'.
The Rāmāyaṇa is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India (the Itihāsa). It is universally attributed to the Ādi Kavi (First Poet) Vālmīki. The Rāmāyaṇa predates Aśvaghoṣa by several centuries and serves as a foundational text for the Kāvya style that Aśvaghoṣa later refined. Aśvaghoṣa himself was deeply influenced by the Rāmāyaṇa, but he is certainly not its creator.

Step 4: Conclusion.
By elimination and historical verification, we can conclude that while Vajrasūcī, Buddhacarita, and Saundarananda are authentic or traditionally attributed works of Aśvaghoṣa, the Rāmāyaṇa belongs to Vālmīki. Thus, option (4) is the correct answer to "Which one is not a creation of Aśvaghoṣa."