Tuesday, May 12, 2026 · 天火 · tianmu.org
Avadana and Narrative
Gandhari avadana, miracle, and narrative fragments from early Buddhist storytelling traditions.
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Texts
Gandharan Avadanas — BL Fragment 1Ten edifying Buddhist tales from the oldest surviving Buddhist manuscripts — first-century Gandhāri Prakrit birch-bark scrolls from ancient Gandhāra. Stories of encounters with kings, heretics, and the karmic consequences of good and evil deeds.Gandharan Avadanas — BL Fragments 2, 3, and 21Further Gandhāri avadāna tales from the British Library birch-bark scrolls — Fragments 2, 3, 21, and Supplementary Fragments A-C. First-century CE narratives including the Pūrvayoga of Ajñāta Kauṇḍinya and additional edifying stories.The Miracle at SravastiThe oldest known literary account of the Buddha's great miracle at Śrāvastī, composed in Gandhāri Prakrit in mātrāchandas meter, dating to the 1st century CE. A birch-bark poem of 74 stanzas narrating the contest between the Buddha and the heretic Pūraṇa Kāśyapa before Kings Prasenajit and Bimbisāra. From the Split Collection of Kharoṣṭhī manuscripts.