Sarvajñamitra
| Wylie | Sarvajñamitra |
|---|---|
| English Phonetics | Sarvajñamitra |
| Sort Name | Sarvajñamitra |
Tibetan calendar dates
Biographical Information
Sarvajñamitra was a famous Buddhist monk of Kashmir, described by Kalhaṇa as one 'who set himself as another Jina (Buddha)'. He lived in a monastery, called Kayyavihāra, founded by Kayya, the king of Lāta owing allegiance to king Lalitāditya of Kashmir (701–738 A.D.)[31]. Thus, Sarvajñamitra would appear to have lived in the later half of the 8th century. He was a worshipper of Tārā and was known for his generousness. Tārānātha gives the following biographical account of Sarvajñamitra:
He was an extra-(marital) son of a king of Kashmir (probably the contemporary of king Lalitāditya or his predecessor). When still a baby he was carried away by a vulture when his mother had left him on the terrace, herself having gone to pluck flowers. The baby was taken to a peek of Mount Gandhola in Nalanda. There he was received by some Pandits under whose protection he grew-up and became a monk well-versed in the Piṭakas. He propitiated the goddess Tārā by whose favour he received enormous wealth which he distributed among the needy. At last when he had nothing left to donate he left towards the South fearing that he would have to send the suppliants back without giving alms to them which would be against his wishes. On his journey to the South he met an old blind brāhmaṇa led by his son. He was going to Nalanda to implore aid from Sarvajñāmitra, about whose generosity he had heard a lot.
Sarvajñāmitra told him that he was the same person but had exhausted all his wealth. Hearing this the brāhmaṇa heaved an afflictive sigh with which Sarvajñāmitra felt boundless compassion for him and decided to get money for him anyhow. While searching for money he found a king named Saraṇa who was passionately attached to false views. This king wanted to purchase 108 men for offering them to sacrificial fire. He had already procured 107 men and was in search of one more. Sarvajñāmitra sold himself for the gold equal to the weight of his body. He gave this gold to the brāhmaṇa who returned happy.
Sarvajñāmitra was put in the royal prison. The other prisoners were overpowered by grief seeing that the number was complete and their death was quire [quite?] near. When fire was kindled, they started wailing. Again. the great Ācārya felt boundless compassion and he earnestly prayed to the goddess Tārā. The goddess flowed a stream of nectar over the fire and people could see rains coming down only on the fire. When the fire was extinguished the place turned to be a lake. Seeing this wonderful event, the king was filled with admiration for the Ācārya. The prisoners were released with rewards.
The Ācārya after the lapse of a long time, wished to be at his birth place. So he prayed to the goddess. He was asked to catch hold of the corner of her clothes and shut the eyes. When he re-opened his eyes he found himself in a beautiful land in front of a magnificent palace. He could not recognise this place and asked the goddess why she had not taken him to Nalanda. She told him that this was his real birth place. He stayed in Kahemir [Kashmir?] and founded a big temple of goddess Tārā. Tārānātha further states that he was a disciple of Süryagupta or Ravigupta[32]. The same tradition is found with minor variations in the commentary on the Sragdharāstotra by Jinarakṣita[33].
Sragdharāstotra is a hymn containing 37 verses which Sarvajñamitra wrote in praise of goddess Tārā. 'Sragdharā' is an epithet of Tārā which means 'wearer of the wreath' or 'the garland bringer' and it is also the name of the metre in which the hymn was written. Bstan—'gyur contains three translations of the text. The hymn, with its commentary and two Tibetan versions, is edited by S. C. Vidyabhusana in Bibliotheca series, 1908.
Besides 'Sragdharāstotra' other texts attributed to Sarvajñamitra are all in praise of goddess Tārā, viz.,
1. Devītarākuvākyādhyesana nāma stotra
2. Āryatārāsādhanā, and
3. Aṣṭabhayatrānatārosādhanā[34]. (Kaul, Buddhist Savants of Kashmir, 19–21)
Other Biographical info:
8th century
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