India As Reflected In The Divyavadana

Divyavadana is a quite voluminous book written in mixed Sanskrit and belonging to the school of the Sarvastivadh Buddhists. The main emphasis in the text is on the "Buddhist concept of Karma" and the consequent result (phala). Religiosity and charity have been consciously stressed by the author/authors of the text to increase the interaction between the laity and the monastic establishments. Being a student of Buddhist philosophy as well as history, the author has tried to study the text from various angles with a multidisciplinary approach. Some questions have been raised for further research work. The work hopefully will benefit the students of Buddhist studies particularly for the study of changes in thought as well as in religious perception that took place in different Buddhist schools. It will also help the students of ancient Indian history as the text is replete with information on the socio-economic, political and religious ideas and institutions of India during the first few centuries of the Christian era.