Which of the following Buddhist texts is unique for being written in Sanskrit and is renowned for its exposition of the life of the Buddha through ornate poetic verse (Mahakavya)?

💡 Solution & Explanation

The Buddhacharita is a Sanskrit epic poem composed by the scholar Ashvaghosa in the ornate Mahakavya style during the rule of the Kushana Empire. It narrates the life and teachings of Gautama Buddha from his birth to enlightenment and final nirvana in refined classical Sanskrit. Unlike earlier Buddhist scriptures composed in Pali or Prakrit, this text illustrates the growing literary shift toward Sanskrit in Buddhist scholarship during the first century CE. Ashvaghosa was a contemporary of King Kanishka.