Svabhāvokti in the Descriptions of Nature in Aśvaghoṣa’s Epic Buddhacarita: A Case Study of Animals and Plants

Abstract

This research article investigates the poetic ornament svabhāvokti in nature descriptions in Aśvaghoṣa’s epic Buddhacarita, chapters 1–13, with a specific focus on animals and plants. The findings indicate that Aśvaghoṣa employs svabhāvokti to depict human characters and natural phenomena in a beautifully realistic manner, with minimal artificial embellishment or intrusion of the poet’s personal emotions. In particular, his descriptions of animals and plants in their natural environment—such as Kanthaka the horse, elephants, cattle, deer, and small animals—not only reflect everyday life and social context, but also convey moral values like compassion, courage, and renunciation of worldly pleasures in the pursuit of liberation. At the same time, his portrayal of vegetation, flowers, sandalwood trees, and creepers reveals the natural beauty that supports and interrelates with human ways of life and religious rituals, creating vivid and realistic images through refined rhetorical language, so that the lives of characters, animals, and plants appear harmoniously attuned to their surroundings and closely linked with Buddhist doctrinal principles.