There is pleasure when a sore is scratched, But to be without sores is more pleasurable still. Just so, there are pleasures in worldly desires, But to be without desires is more pleasurable still.

On the basis of this association Nāgārjuna is conventionally placed at around 150–250 CE. Archaeological evidence at Amarāvatī indicates that if this is true the king may have been Yajña Śrī Śātakarṇi who ruled between 167 and 196 CE. There is much discussion as to whether this is a work of Nāgārjuna or someone else.

Furthermore he is traditionally supposed to have written several treatises on rasayana alchemy as well as serving a term as the head of Nālandā University. Nāgārjuna is also credited with developing the philosophy of the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtras and in some sources with having revealed these scriptures in the world having recovered them from the nāgas (dragons). Nāgārjuna (Devanagari: नागार्जुन Telugu: నాగార్జున Tibetan: ཀླུ་སྒྲུབ་ klu sgrub Chinese: 龍樹 Japanese: 龍樹 Ryūju Sinhala නාගර්ජුන) (ca.