aSoka
Aśoka , n. pr. : ( 1 ) name of a former Buddha, Mv iii.238.6, 7 ; ( 2 ) name of a nephew and disciple of the Buddha Kāśyapa, Av i.237.14 ff. ; ( 3 ) name of a king who lived in the time of the Buddha Krakucchanda, Divy 418.26 f. ; ( 4 ) name of a yakṣa, Māy 68 ; ( 5 ) name of an uncle of King Mahāpraṇāda, and previous incarnation of Bhaddālin , q.v. , Divy 59.20 ; 60.10 ; ( 6 ) name of the historic emperor, Mvy 3653 ; Mmk 606.14 ; Karmav 154.14 ; was given the epithet Dharmāśoka , q.v. ; his family name was Maurya , q.v. ; he lived 100 years after Buddhaʼs death acc. to Av ii.200.7 ; in Divy 364.17 ff. is told first his previous life as Jaya , in which he gave some dust (this is the pāṃśu-pradāna) to the Buddha, made a praṇidhāna , and hence became later the emperor Aśoka, 368.26 ff. ; his birth and life as emperor, 370.10 ff.