Which one of the following is not the work of Ashvaghosha ?

The correct answer is D, Manjushrimulakalpa. It is a later Mahayana Buddhist text of ritual and prophecy, not a work of Ashvaghosha. Ashvaghosha was a Buddhist poet, dramatist and philosopher of the first–second century CE, linked by tradition to the court of the Kushana king Kanishka. He is counted among the earliest masters of classical Sanskrit kavya, a forerunner of Kalidasa. The Manjushrimulakalpa, compiled centuries after him, is valued by historians because its long 'prophecy' section gives an account of Indian dynasties, including the Guptas and later rulers. Option A is wrong because the Sariputraprakarana, a play on the conversion of Sariputra and Maudgalyayana, is by Ashvaghosha; its fragments were found at Turfan in Central Asia and it is among the oldest known Sanskrit dramas. Option B is wrong because the Buddhacharita, an epic poem on the life of the Buddha, is his best-known work. Option C is wrong because the Saundarananda, on the conversion of the Buddha's half-brother Nanda, is also his. Exam tip: Ashvaghosha wrote Buddhacharita, Saundarananda and Sariputraprakarana.