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Biswanath Bhattacharya
tad apy ayuktam na hi sā kadăcin mayā vina gacchati pankajāni //
(Rāmāyaṇa, 3/63/14] Sa padma-rāgam vasanam vasānā padmānanā padma-dalāyatākşi padmā vipadmā patiteva Laksmīh Šušosa padma-srag ivatapena /
[Saundara-Nanda, 6/26] kācit padma-vanad etya sapadmā padma-locanā / padma-vaktrasya pārśve 'sya padma-śrīr iva tasthuși //
[Buddha carita, 4/36] 4) tataḥ sa madhyam gatam amśumantam
jyotsna-vitānam muhur udvamantam / dadarśa dhimān bhuvi bhānumantam gosthe vrşam mattam iva bhramantam // [Rāmāyaṇa, 5/5/3] tau deva-dārūttama-gandhavar tam nadi-sarah-prasravaņaughavantam / ajagmatuh kañcana-dhātumantam devarşimantam Himavantam āśu //
[Saundara-Nanda, 10/5] Here we desist from citing further instances.
Moreover, the śānta-rasa synthesis of the Maha-Bhārata has exercized an unmistakable influence on Aśvaghoşa's kāvyas. On the Maha-Bhā. rata Anandavardhana says :
tataś ca śānto raso rasāntarair mokşa-lakṣaṇaḥ puruşārthaḥ puruşārthāntarais tad-upasarjanatvenā 'nugamyamāno 'ngitvena vivaksā-visaya iti Mahā--Bharata-tātparyam su-vyaktam evāvabhāsate / .
[Dhvanyaloka, Uddyota IV] Ašvaghoşa also adopts the Mahā-Bhārata siddhānta when he declares :ity eşā vyupaśāntaye na rataye mokşārtha-garbhā křtiḥ
...... tattvam kathitam iha mayā mokṣaḥ param iti / tad buddhvă śāmikam yat ted avahitam ito grāhyam na lal tam
[Saundara-Nanda, 18/63a & 64bc)
The word "alita" in the above quotation stands for i) Sủngāra-rasa, ii) guna and iii) alankāra in the light of Abhinavagupta's explanation of the same term in Ānandavardhana's 1/2 Vịtti which might be cited here for a safe reference as follows :
....... lalita-Śabdena guņālankārānugraham āha I.
The above evidences would suffice to give some fair idea of the considerable influence of the Rāmāyana and the Māhā-Bhārata on Asvaghoa'ss
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