🐉 Nagarjuna

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Nagarjuna (नागार्जुन / ཀླུ་སྒྲུབ།)

The Second Buddha, Founder of Madhyamaka Philosophy

Nagarjuna (c. 150-250 CE) is one of the most important philosophers in Buddhist history, founding the Madhyamaka (Middle Way) school that became the philosophical foundation of Mahayana Buddhism. His revolutionary teachings on emptiness (shunyata) and his masterwork, the Mulamadhyamakakarika, profoundly influenced all subsequent Buddhist thought. Considered an emanation of Manjushri, he is revered as the "Second Buddha" for reviving and clarifying the Buddha's teachings.

Biography and Legends

Early Life and Conversion

Born in South India to a Brahmin family, Nagarjuna received extensive education in the Vedas and sciences. According to tradition, as a youth he mastered the art of invisibility, which he and three friends used to enter the king's harem. When his friends were caught and executed, Nagarjuna realized that lust leads to suffering and death. This traumatic lesson motivated his spiritual seeking.

He became a Buddhist monk and within 90 days had memorized the entire Tripitaka (the three baskets of Buddhist scripture). Finding nothing further to learn, he was about to disrobe when an old monk revealed deeper teachings existed. Nagarjuna traveled throughout India seeking them.

The Nagas' Treasury

His name "Nagarjuna" (Naga-arjuna) means "noble serpent," derived from the legend of his encounter with the nagas (serpent deities). According to tradition, the nagas invited him to their underwater palace and presented him with the Prajnaparamita Sutras (Perfection of Wisdom texts), which the Buddha had taught but the world was not ready to receive. The nagas had preserved these profound teachings for 500 years until a worthy master appeared. Nagarjuna brought these sutras back to the human world, establishing the philosophical foundation of Mahayana Buddhism.

Life as a Teacher and Alchemist

He became abbot of the great monastery at Nalanda and served as spiritual advisor to the Satavahana king. Historical sources describe him as:

Death and Legacy

According to legend, Nagarjuna achieved such mastery of alchemy and meditation that he became immortal. However, a prince destined to become a great king could not ascend the throne while Nagarjuna lived. Recognizing this karmic situation, Nagarjuna compassionately offered his life. The prince used a blade of kusha grass to cut Nagarjuna's neck—the only substance that could harm him, as he had once accidentally killed an ant with such grass. His body is said to have transformed into light, and prophecies state he will be reborn as the future Buddha maitreya's chief disciple.

📚 Primary Sources: Nagarjuna's Teachings

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Mulamadhyamakakarika (Root Verses on the Middle Way)

Mulamadhyamakakarika:Chapter 1:Verse 1
"Not from self, not from other, not from both, nor without cause—never in any way is there any existing thing that has arisen. I prostrate to the Perfect Buddha, the supreme among teachers, who taught dependent origination: no cessation, no arising; no annihilation, no permanence; no coming, no going; no distinction, no unity; peaceful of fabrications, at peace."
Source: Mulamadhyamakakarika by Nagarjuna, opening dedication, c. 2nd century CE
Mulamadhyamakakarika:Chapter 24:Verses 18-19
"Whatever is dependently co-arisen, that is explained to be emptiness. That, being a dependent designation, is itself the middle way. Something that is not dependently arisen, such a thing does not exist. Therefore a non-empty thing does not exist."
Source: MMK, Chapter 24, defining emptiness as dependent origination
Mulamadhyamakakarika:Chapter 25:Verse 24
"The nature of the Tathagata is the nature of the world. The Tathagata has no intrinsic nature; the world has no intrinsic nature."
Source: MMK, Chapter 25, on the emptiness of nirvana and samsara

Vigrahavyavartani (Dispeller of Objections)

Vigrahavyavartani:Verses 1-4
"If all things are empty, there is no arising and no passing away. The Four Noble Truths do not exist. If the Noble Truths do not exist, then understanding, abandoning, realizing, and practicing do not exist. This is the opponent's objection. My response: You do not understand the purpose of emptiness, emptiness itself, and the meaning of emptiness. Therefore you create this objection."
Source: Vigrahavyavartani by Nagarjuna, refuting objections to emptiness teaching

Ratnavali (Precious Garland)

Ratnavali:Chapter 1:Verses 47-49
"Just as 'chariot' is labeled depending on a collection of parts, so conventionally a 'being' exists depending on the aggregates. The aggregates are not the self, nor do they belong to a self. Yet the self is not separate from them. This is the inexpressible nature. Not permanent, not annihilated, not the same, not different—this is the Buddha's teaching to those who are receptive."
Source: Ratnavali (Precious Garland) by Nagarjuna, letter to King Gautamiputra, c. 2nd century CE
Ratnavali:Chapter 2:Verses 1-4
"O King, as long as the aggregates are grasped, so long does the idea of 'I' prevail. When the idea of 'I' prevails, there is action, and from action comes rebirth. With cessation of the conception of 'I' through the knowledge that it is without basis, action ceases and there is liberation."
Source: Ratnavali, Chapter 2, on liberation through understanding emptiness of self

Sutrasamuccaya (Compendium of Sutras)

Sutrasamuccaya:Opening Statement
"The Perfection of Wisdom is called 'mother of the Buddhas' because it gives birth to all Buddhas of the three times. Without understanding emptiness, there is no path to enlightenment. Yet emptiness wrongly understood becomes poison rather than medicine—those who grasp at emptiness as an absolute fall into a deeper abyss than those who grasp at existence."
Source: Sutrasamuccaya by Nagarjuna, compilation of Mahayana sutra passages

Traditional Biographies

Nagarjuna's Life:Taranatha's History:Chapter 7
"The nagas, recognizing Nagarjuna's realization, brought him to their underwater palace where countless volumes of the Prajnaparamita sutras were preserved. The naga king said: 'These teachings are too profound for ordinary beings. The Buddha entrusted them to us until one arose with the capacity to understand and teach them.' Nagarjuna studied the hundred thousand, twenty thousand, and eight thousand line versions of the Perfection of Wisdom, then returned to teach humanity."
Source: History of Buddhism in India by Taranatha, Tibet, 17th century CE

Core Philosophical Contributions

The Middle Way (Madhyamaka)

Nagarjuna's philosophy navigates between two extremes:

His middle way: Things exist conventionally but lack inherent existence. They arise through dependent_origination, exist relationally, and are therefore empty of independent self-nature.

The Two Truths

These are not contradictory but complementary—two ways of seeing the same reality. Understanding their relationship is essential for Buddhist practice.

The Tetralemma (Catuskoti)

Nagarjuna's distinctive logical tool examines four possible positions and negates all four:

This exhausts all conceptual possibilities, pointing to a reality beyond conceptual elaboration.

Major Works

🔗 Related Across the Mythos

Archetype
🐉 ENLIGHTENED SAGE / PHILOSOPHER-SAINT

Nagarjuna embodies the Enlightened Sage archetype - a master who penetrates ultimate reality through philosophical insight and receives hidden teachings.

See parallels: Plato, Shankara, Laozi, Hermes Trismegistus →
Cross-Cultural Parallels
🕉️ Adi Shankara → Non-dual philosopher 🏛️ Socrates → Philosophical inquiry method ☯️ Laozi → Teaching through paradox
Within Buddhist Tradition
🐍 Nagas → Guardians of his teachings 📜 Manjushri → Bodhisattva of Wisdom 🔄 Dependent Origination → Central to his philosophy