The heavenly exploits

The Dívyavadána, or “Heavenly Exploits,” is a collection of thirty-eight Buddhist biographical stories. The genre of narratives of an individual’s religiously significant deeds is as old as Buddhism, and its manifestations are as widely spread across Buddhist Asia, in classical and vernacular languages, down to the present day. Volume One contains the stories of Shrona Koti·karna, Purna, Prince Súdhana and Makándika. The first two stories are fine examples of the type of tales of adventurous seafaring merchants whose moral virtue and religious observance lead to material wealth. Súdhana’s is a prince’s long and dangerous heroic quest, while the brahmin ascetic Makándika offers his nubile daughter to the Buddha in marriage. Where religion meets the world, these narratives present something for everyone.