The Mahasudarsanavdana And The Mahasudarsanasutra

The Gilgit version of the Mahasudarsavadana was identified by the present writer. The another version of this story is handed down besides the two in vinaya-vastu. It is one episode called Mahasudarsanasutra in the so-called Turfan Sanskrit Mahaparinirvanasutra. The present edition is a critical edition incorporating a detailed introduction. The Mahasudarsanavadana in the Gilgit manuscripts, The Mahasudarsanasutra in he Central Asian manuscripts, the methodology of presentation of texts a list of the Mahasudarsana stories, concordence, the relationship among the manuscripts the place of the Mahasudarsanasutra in the Dirghagma in connection to the Satasutrakanipata, the relationship of various versions of the Mahasudarsana text. The two versions are presented in opposite pages: in left pages the Gilgit version and in right pages the Central Asian Version. This enables to include in the right pages some new fragments of the Mahasudarsanasutra, which were not available when the Waldschmidt published his text; Appendix one contains the Tibetan text, Appendix II the Mahasudarsanasutra in the Bahisajyavastu. Abbreviations, Index, Addendum-a new fragment of the Mahasudarsana text. In the end four charts are included Chart I the Condition of the Extant Central Asian Manuscripts, Chart II Cat. No. 399, f. 215 and Fragment 5, Chart III Cat. No. 367, Fragments 4,5,5,8,9. and chart IV Relationship between the Mahasudarsanasutra and the Mahaparinirvanasutra.