Editing Ashoka (section)

===Buddhist legends===

Much of the information about Ashoka comes from Buddhist legends, which present him as a great, ideal emperor.{{sfn|Singh|2008|pp=331–332}} These legends appear in texts that are not contemporary to Ashoka and were composed by Buddhist authors, who used various stories to illustrate the impact of their faith on Ashoka. This makes it necessary to exercise caution while relying on them for historical information.{{sfn|Thapar|1961|pp=8–9}} Among modern scholars, opinions range from downright dismissal of these legends as mythological to acceptance of all historical portions that seem plausible.{{sfn|Strong|1989|p=12}}

The Buddhist legends about Ashoka exist in several languages, including [[Sanskrit]], [[Pali]], [[Tibetic languages|Tibetan]], [[Chinese language|Chinese]], [[Burmese language|Burmese]], [[Khmer language|Khmer]], [[Sinhala language|Sinhala]], [[Thai language|Thai]], [[Lao language|Lao]], and [[Khotanese language|Khotanese]]. All these legends can be traced to two primary traditions:{{sfn|Strong|1995|p=143}}
* the North Indian tradition preserved in the Sanskrit-language texts such as ''[[Divyavadana]]'' (including its constituent ''[[Ashokavadana]]''); and Chinese sources such as ''A-yü wang chuan'' and ''A-yü wang ching''.{{sfn|Strong|1995|p=143}}
* the Sri Lankan tradition preserved in Pali-language texts, such as ''[[Dipavamsa]]'', ''[[Mahavamsa]]'', ''Vamsatthapakasini'' (a commentary on ''Mahavamsa''), Buddhaghosha's commentary on the Vinaya, and ''Samanta-pasadika''.{{sfn|Thapar|1961|p=8}}{{sfn|Strong|1995|p=143}}

There are several significant differences between the two traditions. For example, the Sri Lankan tradition emphasizes Ashoka's role in convening the [[Third Buddhist council]], and his dispatch of several missionaries to distant regions, including his son [[Mahinda (Buddhist monk)|Mahinda]] to Sri Lanka.{{sfn|Strong|1995|p=143}} However, the North Indian tradition makes no mention of these events. It describes other events not found in the Sri Lankan tradition, such as a story about another son named Kunala.{{sfn|Strong|1995|p=144}}

Even while narrating the common stories, the two traditions diverge in several ways. For example, both ''Ashokavadana'' and ''Mahavamsa'' mention that Ashoka's empress [[Tishyarakshita]] had the [[Bodhi Tree]] destroyed. In ''Ashokavadana'', the empress manages to have the tree healed after she realises her mistake. In the ''Mahavamsa'', she permanently destroys the tree, but only after a branch of the tree has been transplanted in Sri Lanka.{{sfn|Strong|1995|pp=152–154}} In another story, both the texts describe Ashoka's unsuccessful attempts to collect a relic of Gautama Buddha from [[Ramagrama stupa|Ramagrama]]. In ''Ashokavadana'', he fails to do so because he cannot match the devotion of the [[Nāga]]s who hold the relic; however, in the ''Mahavamsa'', he fails to do so because the Buddha had destined the relic to be enshrined by King [[Dutthagamani]] of [[Anuradhapura Kingdom|Sri Lanka]].{{sfn|Strong|1995|p=155}} Using such stories, the ''Mahavamsa'' glorifies Sri Lanka as the new preserve of Buddhism.{{sfn|Strong|1995|pp=154–157}}

[[File:013 King Asoka visits Ramagrama (33428090870).jpg|thumb|800px|center|King Ashoka visits Ramagrama, to take relics of the Buddha from the [[Nāga|Nagas]], but in vain. Southern gateway, Stupa 1, [[Sanchi]].{{sfn|Singh|2017|p=162}}]]