With reference to Buddhist historical literature, consider the following pairs: Literary Text Associated Genre 1. Saundarananda Sanskrit mahakavya composed by Ashvaghosha on the conversion of Nanda 2. Manjushrimulakalpa Comprehensive encyclopedic commentary of the Sarvastivada school 3. Mahavibhasha Shastra Early Buddhist text combining Mahayana sutra and Tantric ritual elements Which of the pairs given above are correct? |ForumIAS

[A] 1 only

[B] 2 only

[C] 1 and 3 only

[D] 1, 2 and 3

Answer: D

Notes:

Explanation:

Pair 1 is correct: Saundarananda is a famous Sanskrit poem by Ashvaghosha narrating the story of Nanda (the Buddha’s half-brother) and his ordination into the Sangha.
Pair 2 is correct: Mahavibhasha Shastra is an essential scholastic commentary on the Jnanaprasthana, compiled during the Fourth Buddhist Council in Kashmir under Kanishka.
Pair 3 is correct: Manjushrimulakalpa is an important text of the Kriya-tantra class that contains historical, ritual, and mantra traditions framing early Tantric Buddhism.