Stressing the importance of 5th–6th-century copper-plate charters connected to the Viṣṇukuṇḍin dynasty for the history of Buddhism in Āndhradeśa, this article demonstrates that, contrary to earlier scholarly assumptions, and despite the paucity of archeological evidence for Buddhist activity at that time, Buddhist lineages still benefitted from lavish donations by ruling families. This study consists of three parts: the first explores the representation of two Viṣṇukuṇḍin rulers as Buddhist kings, and shows how their portraits and their aspirations are permeated by the ideology of the Bodhisattvayāna. The second part examines one of the main recipients of royal donations, the Sthāvira/Theriya lineage of the Tāmraparṇīyas, already known from inscriptions issued under the previous Ikṣvāku dynasty. The analysis of these earlier records from Nagarjunakonda in light of little-studied copper plates shows that the Tāmraparṇīyas had a strong institutional presence in Āndhradeśa from the mid-3rd to the late 6th century. The lineage’s connections with Laṅkā and with other Theriya centres along the Bay of Bengal are delineated through a close examination of the terminology used in the inscriptions under scrutiny, in light of co-eval records, and especially of Pāli Vinaya literature and historical narratives. The last part of this article focuses on a poetic allusion to the episode of the Buddha’s victory over Māra included in the opening stanza of a grant issued by king Prthivīśrīmūla. The evidence suggests that this record connects for the first time the water poured by Śākyamuni in his previous lives as a Bodhisattva with a flood that drove away Māra’s army from the seat of Awakening, a motif that grew—like a tide—and spread across Southeast Asia.

中文翻译：

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功德之潮

这篇文章强调了与 Viṣṇukuṇḍin 王朝有关的 5 至 6 世纪铜版宪章对于 Āndhradeśa 佛教历史的重要性，并证明了这一点与早期的学术假设相反，尽管当时佛教活动的考古证据很少，佛教世系仍然受益于统治家族的慷慨捐赠。本研究由三部分组成：第一部分探讨了两位 Viṣṇukuṇḍin 统治者作为佛教国王的表现，并展示了他们的肖像和他们的愿望如何被菩萨的意识形态所渗透。第二部分考察了皇家捐赠的主要接受者之一，Tāmraparṇīyas 的 Sthāvira/Theriya 世系，从前 Ikṣvāku 王朝的铭文中已经知道。根据对铜板的研究很少，对这些来自 Nagarjunakonda 的早期记录的分析表明，Tāmraparṇīyas 从 3 世纪中叶到 6 世纪后期在 Āndhradeśa 拥有强大的机构存在。该世系与 Laṅkā 和孟加拉湾沿线的其他 Theriya 中心的联系是通过仔细检查在审查下的铭文中使用的术语，根据同时期的记录，特别是巴利律的 Vinaya 文学和历史叙述来描述的。这篇文章的最后一部分集中于对佛陀战胜魔罗的诗意典故，该情节包含在国王 Prthivīśrīmūla 颁发的赠款的开篇诗节中。