Vitashoka or Tissa (born 3rd-century BCE) was a

prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...

of the Maurya Empire as the only full-brother of

Ashoka Ashoka (, ; also ''Asoka''; 304 – 232 BCE), popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was the third emperor of the Maurya Empire of Indian subcontinent during to 232 BCE. His empire covered a large part of the Indian subcontinent, s ...

, and the only brother left alive by Ashoka. According to

Divyavadana The ''Divyāvadāna'' or Divine narratives is a Sanskrit anthology of Buddhist avadana tales, many originating in Mūlasarvāstivādin vinaya texts. It may be dated to 2nd century CE. The stories themselves are therefore quite ancient and may be ...

, he was a follower of the

Tirthika Tīrthika ( sa, tīrthika, pi, titthiya, "ford-maker," meaning one who is attempting to cross the stream of saṃsāra) in Indian philosophy is a general term referring to non-Buddhists in general. In the Tipitaka, the term ''titthiya'' may ...

s and used to criticize the Buddhist monks for living a comfortable life. He was made to sit on the throne by the courtiers. When Ashoka found out about that, he persuaded Vitashoka to become a Buddhist. Vitashoka became a monk and practised austerities rigorously.

Name

Vitashoka is referred to as Tissa (or Tisya) in Sri Lankan texts.

Theragatha The ''Theragatha'' (''Verses of the Elder Monks'') is a Buddhist text, a collection of short poems in Pali attributed to members of the early Buddhist sangha. It is classified as part of the Khuddaka Nikaya, the collection of minor books in the ...

commentary regards Tissa and Vitashoka as different individuals. Other sources call him Vigatāshoka, Sudatta, or Sugatra. The Mahavamsa later names him as Ekavihārika.

In the Divyavadana

Divyavadana narrates a story of someone in

Pundravardhana Pundravardhana or Pundra Kingdom ( sa, Puṇḍravardhana), was an ancient kingdom during the Iron Age period in India with a territory that included parts of present-day Rajshahi and Rangpur Divisions of Bangladesh as well as the West Din ...

and then again at

Pataliputra Pataliputra ( IAST: ), adjacent to modern-day Patna, was a city in ancient India, originally built by Magadha ruler Ajatashatru in 490 BCE as a small fort () near the Ganges river.. Udayin laid the foundation of the city of Pataliputra at the ...

who drew a picture of the Buddha bowing before Nirgrantha Nataputta. As a punishment, Ashoka ordered the AjivikasDivyavadana apparently equates the Nirgranthas and Ajivikas here. to be put to death and declared a reward for killing of Nirgranthas. Someone killed Vitashoka taking him to be a Nirgrantha. His head was taken to Ashoka. After identifying that it was his own brother, Ashoka stopped giving orders for executions. However, according to the more authentic works based on Ashoka's life, Vitashoka's fate remains unknown after Ashoka becomes king. Some scholars suggested that Vitashoka may have been a general or a minister of Ashoka.

References

{{Reflist Mauryan dynasty