International Journal of Literature and Arts 2020; 8(6): 349-355 http://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/j/ijla doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20200806.17 ISSN: 2331-0553 (Print); ISSN: 2331-057X (Online) Ashwaghosh’s Sundarananda : Transition from the Physical to the Liberation- Existing Not to Exist Keshav Raj Chalise Department of English, Nepal Sanskrit University, Kalika Sanskrit Vidyapeeth, Gaindakot, Nepal Email address: To cite this article: Keshav Raj Chalise. Ashwaghosh’s Sundarananda : Transition from the Physical to the Liberation- Existing Not to Exist. International Journal of Literature and Arts. Vol. 8, No. 6, 2020, pp. 349-355. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20200806.17 Received : November 12, 2020; Accepted : November 27, 2020; Published : December 16, 2020 Abstract: Sundarananda , the Sanskrit epic on the Buddhist theme of Moksha and Nirvana, has become a trendsetter in the epic writing in Sanskrit and Nepali. Hindu born poet and philosopher, Ashwaghosh has composed this text after his deep- rooted impression on Buddhism. The epic has the narrative on how Buddha’s half brother, Nanda has undergone the severe practice for Moksha. He has adopted his family life, he has the close affiliation to the worldly things and he appears to be closely inclined to the material world. Buddha, not as a person, but as a philosophy or a practice, has provided him a pathway to the mode of liberation from the worldly life. At the beginning, Nanda is a common man, but by the end of the epic, he has got transition from the physical to the mode of unworldly realization. The whole epic describes his different steps of transition, dilemma between worldly and unworldly, confusion between love to life and love to beyond, and ultimately gives his successive transformation into the point of physically liberated life on earth. This study examines how he has made a resourceful transition from the physical love to the love beyond. Also, it raises some typical questions on the Buddhist negation of the material world, suffering and the debate on rebirth with the close observation on the relationship between body and mind, and ‘being’ and ‘non-being’. Sundarananda , not as a pure Buddhist text in this study, but as a literary creation, has adopted the lessons of Buddhism and at the same time, it has opened the discussion of existing for not to exist. The epic has provided a strong platform to interpret the text as a Buddhist quest for the non-existence through the existence. Keywords: Worldly, Suffering, Liberation, Dharma, Rebirth, Supreme Being heard and discussed matter in Buddhism is his negation of 1. Introduction the worldly pleasures and his search of peace through the Born in India as a Brahmin, Ashwaghos was the greatest bodily liberation. Still the role of the physicality for the poet and philosopher writing and discoursing in Sanskrit transformation to the point of Tathagata is always shadowed. even before Kalidash. As a born Hindu, he was having the Would Siddhartha be Buddha if he had no existence as power to discourse on the mythology of Hindusiam and later physical body? This article does not intend to question on he became the follower of Buddhism and began to preach Buddhism, but it aims to observe on how the point of under Mahayana doctrines. He has composed epics in liberation- the freedom from suffering and rebirth has Sanskrit literature and he is one of the trendsetters of writing become possible not only in Buddha, but also in Nanda- the epics in Sanskrit and later on it has become the trend of half brother of Siddhartha through the body. writing epics in Nepali literature. He has got popularity writing Buddha Charita , and also he has composed 2. Sundarananda: Transformation from Sundarananda at the same spirit. Buddha Charita , being the story of Buddha, has got Worldly to Trans-worldly immense popularity, but Sundarananda , having the story on Divided into eighteen cantons, Sundarananda is a Sanskrit how Buddha’s half brother came to adopt the principles of his epic composed by an Indian poet and philosopher, brother, has not got the equal state not because it is weak in Ashwaghosh. The poet has chosen Nanda, the half brother of epic qualities, but because it is not easily available. The ever International Journal of Literature and Arts 2020; 8(6): 349-355 350 Buddha as the central character. Being handsome, he is decision to follow all the dharma to possess the beauties of known as Sundara+ Nanda. In another way, having his wife the heaven. It is the first turning point in his attitude. Buddha named Sundari, he is Sundari’s Ananda, so he is has become to divert Nanda’s mind from his wife and Sundarananda. Getting along very well with his wife Sundari, Sundari. Once he has forgotten his wife and devoted to the book introduces him as a happy man in the family and achieve the heaven’s beauty, he has concentrated on his pure with his wife, their pleasing and delighted life having Dharma as instructed by Buddha. But still the passion has playfulness in love. guided him. The first transition in his life has taken place Nanda has not even imagined that the day would come to seeing the women even more beautiful than the one he has separate him from his beautiful and happy moments of his long been supposing to be the most beautiful lady of the life with his wife, but as it has happened that Buddha came to world- his wife, Sundari. The definition of love and beauty his home with a to beg for food. He has realized it his duty to and the pleasure from beauty has been changed in this point. offer something to Buddha and he left his wife, “[1] kartum ̇ At the same time, Buddha has felt it a success to make a gamiṣya ̄miguraupraṇa ̄mam ̇ ma ̄mabhyanujña ̄tumiha ̄rhasi ̄ti” transition in Nanda’s perception. (SN. 4. 32) “[2] I would like to go and pay my respects to the Nanda’s transition has taken place in different steps. He Guru. Please permit me, this once” (Cross, 2015, p. 279). He has concentrated himself on how to achieve the pleasures of has promised he would be back by the time the cosmetics on the heaven with all those beauties. It is not the purpose of her face dries. Nanda has just the idea to fill the begging Buddha either in Nanda. His plan is to bring him to the state bowl of Buddha, and he has no imagination on how Buddha of liberation from the pleasures and pain either the earthly or would react in a strange manner. He has no slightest idea or heavenly. Buddha uses another step of giving him the lessons plans to follow Buddha’s path. But Buddha has used his on why heaven is not the ultimate aim. Through the mouth of spiritual power to bring Nanda in his own path that every Ananda, Buddha says that desire to heaven is not the state of time Sundarananda would a step forward to place the food in complete freedom. Heaven is Karmic- it is achieved with the the Buddha’s bowl, the Buddha would be back up, and he help of the Karma we perform on earth. As soon as the would become invisible so that Sundarananda couldn’t reach impact of karma is finished, he/she has to get back to earth. the bowl. He has given several examples on how humans have To his surprise, the Buddha has told him to follow him but achieved heaven with the help of their good karma, but again not to return back home when he has met him. Nanda has they have to come back to the life form on earth or even to two options: to leave his beautiful wife and her love or to Patala. He gets suggestion to abandon the fancy of heaven- discard his brother’s request. Nanda makes attempt to discard “[1] tadd-hetorbrahmacaryam ̇ carajahi hi calam ̇ svargam ̇ his brother’s request, “[1] pratirucim” (SN 11.62) “[2] Devoutly practise abstinence, nandonapravrajiṣya ̄myahamityuva ̄ca” (SN 5. 35). But and abandon your fancy for a precarious heaven” (Cross, Buddha has understood the power of physical love in him as 2015, p. 360). But he is still in confusion- “[1] Nanda. Both Buddha and Nanda have undergone two aspects visasma ̄rapriya ̄ṁ bha ̄rya ̄mapsaro-darśana ̄dyatha ̄ “ (SN 12. of purification upto this moment: “(1 ) ātma śrayohetu-̄ 7), “[2] he forgot about his beloved wife on seeing the bala ̄dhikasyaba ̄hya śrayaḥ̄ pratyaya-gauravasya ” (SN 5. 16) apsaras” (Cross, 2015, p. 362), but again how can he forget “[2] one with stronger motivation from within, there is self- all those apsaras . Tathagata (Buddha) has understood this reliance; in one who assigns weight to conditions, there is state in him. All this is that Nanda is still under the control of outer-dependence” (Cross, 2015, p. 285). The reality is that his senses. Siddhartha has left his home palace because of self- The next step he has come under is the practice to forget motivation, he has got purification and become the Buddha, the sense pleasure. Buddha suggests him that the object itself but his brother, Nanda has felt himself purified in the worldly is not the problem, but it is our sense perception. Human life, and his way of liberation or purification is conditional perception is just an illusion of the reality, but not the reality and dependent to others. Siddhartha has adopted himself, but itself. He has given lessons on how to control the desire of Nanda has been forcefully brought in the path.