Pusyamitra Sunga - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The earliest reference to persecution of Buddhists by Pushyamitra Sunga is from the Sarvastivadin text of 2nd Century CE,
Divyavadana and its constituent part, the
Ashokavadana,
[24] which describe an account where Pushyamitra asked his ministers how he could get everlasting fame. They told him as long as Buddhist Law remained, he would have to construct 84,000
stupas as King
Ashoka had done.
[24] But one priest told him he could have everlasting fame by doing the opposite - destroying Buddhist religion.
[24]According to these ancient accounts, Pushyamitra Sunga then went to the
Kukkutarama monastery, slaughtered monks and the organization's residence; after which he proceeded to Shakala (Sialkot) where he issued an edict awarding a gold piece for every head of a Buddhist monk brought to him.
[24]These accounts state the destruction continued until he arrived at the
Bodhi tree.
[24] According to other accounts, Pushyamitra Sunga proceeded to Shakala and offered 100 Dinaras for the head of every Buddhist monk.
[25]
A Sarvastivadin-Vaibhashika text of 2nd Century CE,
Vibhasha, chronicles the legend of Pushyamitra Sunga destroying stupas, demolishing 500 monasteries at the Kashmir border and slaughtering monks; supported by
Kumbhandas,
Yakshas and demons which enhanced his power making him invincible, until he approached the
Bodhi tree.
[24] According to these narratives, the guardian spirit of the
Bodhi tree,
Yaksha Damshtranivasin, took the form of a beautiful lady, approached the king, crushed his army and killed the king.
[24] A Mahasamghika text, the
Shariputrapariprichha, translated into Chinese between 317 and 420 CE also mentions the story. The
Aryamanjusrimulakalpa uses abusive terms for Pushyamitra Sunga, such as 'Gomimukhya' (cattle-faced) and 'Gomishanda', alluding to Vedic Sacrifices revived under the Brahmin Pushyamitra Sunga.
[24]
According to the Tibetan Buddhist Historian, Taranatha, "the brahmana king, Pushyamitra, along with other
tirthikasas, started war and thus burnt down numerous Buddhist monasteries from the
madhyadesha to Jalandhara. They also killed a number of vastly learned monks. As a result, within five years, the doctrine was extinct in the north (Taranatha, 1970: 121).
[24]
Archaeological evidence supporting persecution
According to John Marshall (1955, 1975) there is evidence of damage to Buddhist establishments at Takshashila around the time of Sunga. He proposes the Sanchi stupa was destroyed by Pushyamitra Sunga, but later restored by his successor Agnimitra.
[24] According to N.N.Ghosh (1945) the Bharhut gateway was not constructed during the time of Pushyamitra Sunga, but was constructed by his successors who had a more tolerant attitude to Buddhism, compared to Pushyamitra Sunga, a 'leader of Brahmanic reaction'.
[24] The destruction of Ghositarama monastery at Kaushambi, in 2nd century CE, is attributed to Pushyamitra Sunga.
[24]
According to P.K.Misra,
"Although archaeological evidence is meager, it seems likely, that the Deorkothar stupa geographically located between Sanchi and Bharhut, was destroyed as a result of Pushyamitra Sunga's fanaticism. The exposed remains at Deorkothar bear evidence of deliberate destruction datable to his reign. The three-tiered railing is damaged; railing pillars lie broken to smithereens on stone-flooring. Twenty pieces of pillar have been recovered, each fragment itself fractured. The site offers no indication of natural destruction.(2001).
[24]
He isn't dead .. Probably chillin in the hills of murree...
As for souls entering bodies .. Must be a Hindu concept .. I'm not aware of it... No wonder you are acting like cane toad (one of the dumbest animals on the planet)..
P.S : it wasn't a joke or troll .. You will hardly see me insultin any religion .. Including Hinduism ..
...Anyway i still feel that it's not in landscape mode.
