Skip to content
AC
Browse articles

Taranatha’s History of Buddhism in India

Vol. 4 · No. 3September - 1928pp. 531–533English
Arhat Attainment NarrativesTaranatha Buddhist History

Summary

This translation from Taranatha’s chronicle narrates episodes from the time of the Buddhist sage Upagupta. After crossing the Ganges and settling in Videha, Upagupta established a monastery where monks from the four directions were welcomed and instructed. His teachings inspired many laymen and monks to attain enlightenment. The story recounts how a Yaksha queen, having only seen the spiritual body of the Buddha, asked Upagupta to reveal the master’s physical form. Through his spiritual powers he satisfied her request, emphasising the distinction between the Buddha’s material and spiritual bodies. The account situates these events during the reign of Mahendra, son of King Sudhana, illustrating how Upagupta’s influence spread across northern India and contributed to the flourishing of Buddhist practice.

AI-assisted summary, not yet checked. Consult the original PDF before citing.

Conclusion

The translation concludes that Upagupta’s spiritual leadership and miraculous powers were instrumental in spreading Buddhism across northern India during Mahendra’s reign.

Key passages

Chosen by AI from the article's text. Each one is checked word for word against the text before it is shown.

  • “When he said that he was 50 called in the world, they made over to him the Natabhatika Vihara that lay on the Mountain Siras, and provided him with every requisite”
  • “Immediatély after- wards through the magical exercise of the venerable Upagupta, the Sinful One with his whole company became decrepit and repulsive with torn clothing, and on the head (of each) there appeared a rétten corpse and ભ the neck a decomposed dog’s carcase, which spread their stench through the ten world-regions and caused nausea through their very sight.”
  • “He had been prophesied by the Teacher himself as a Buddha without [the characteristic] signs, i.e., as one who, while lacking only the signs and marks of the Buddha, brought to all living being benefit equal to that of the Buddha”

Works cited in this article

  1. Rockhill, Life of the Buddha, p. 164
  2. The Dsanglun, or more accurately, the Hdsangblun

Discussed in this article

People

Places

AI guide

Discuss this record

Ask about the article, its topics, issue context, selected passages, or reading strategy.

Start with the record

I can unpack the summary, turn it into study questions, explain a selected passage, or compare it with the other articles in this issue.

Article order

In this issue

Vol. 4 · No. 3
406–416Growth of Not-Man in BuddhismC. A. F. Rhys Davids417–424Life of Mahmud GawanJogindra Nath Chowdhuri425–430Elapure Grant of Western Calukya Vijayaditya Saka-Samvat 626431–446Balaji Baji Rao: A Historical RetrospectB. D. Banerji446–452Nambi Andar NambiSoma Sundara Desikar453–474The Maitrakas of Valabhi (C. 500 A.C.—770 A.C.)Niharranjan Roy475–482Religion of Kavikankana Mukundarama CakravartiBasanta Kumar Chatterjee483–511Hindu CalendarSukumar Ranjan Das511–529Old Brahmi Inscriptions in Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves: Language and Style.B. M. Barua531–533Taranatha’s History of Buddhism in IndiaCurrent article534–544Some Historical Sites and Monuments of KeralaA. Govinda Warrier545–556Notes on the LankavataraGiuseppe Tucci557–559An internal evidence for determining the Time of the Later Redactions of the SusrutasamhitaEkendra Nath Ghosh559–563Society for Buddhist Lore (Gesellschaft fur Buddhismus Kunde) founded at HeidelbergM. Walleser563–567Progress in South Indian EpigraphyC. S. Srinivasachari567–570The KarpuramanjariAmulya Chandra Sen570–592The Chronology of the SmritisBatakrishna Ghosh593–600Notes on DravidianL. V. Ramaswami Aiyar601–603Select Contents of Oriental Journals604–604Bibliographical Notes

Original PDF

Inline viewer

Checking source PDF

The viewer will load here if the archive file is reachable.