What is "divyavadana"

The Divyāvadāna or "Divine narratives" is a Sanskrit anthology of Buddhist 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 among the first Buddhist texts ever committed to writing, but this particular collection of them is not attested prior to the seventeenth century. Typically, the stories involve the Buddha explaining to a group of disciples how a particular individual, through actions in a previous life, came to have a particular karmic result in the present. A predominant theme is the vast merit () accrued from making offerings to enlightened beings or at stupas and other holy sites related to the Buddha.