Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
The inquiry seeks to pinpoint the Buddhist scripture that narrates Emperor Ashoka's act of distributing the Buddha's relics and erecting 84,000 stupas.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
(4) Mahaparinibbana Sutta: This text, a component of the Sutta Pitaka, recounts the Buddha's final days, his demise (parinibbana), and the initial division of his relics into eight portions shared among various kings and clans, who subsequently erected the initial eight stupas.
(1) Ashokavadana: This considerably later Sanskrit text (circa 2nd century CE), part of the larger Divyavadana collection, is not a canonical text but a compilation of legends concerning Ashoka. It is within this text that the renowned account of Ashoka, post his conversion to Buddhism, gathering relics from the original eight stupas, subdividing them into 84,000 portions, and constructing stupas across his vast empire over these relics is presented.
(2) Sutta Pitaka and (3) Vinaya Pitaka: These constitute two of the three 'baskets' (Tripitaka) of the Pali Canon. They contain the Buddha's discourses and monastic disciplinary rules, respectively, but do not include the narrative of Ashoka's relic redistribution.
Step 3: Final Answer:
The narrative detailing Ashoka's construction of 84,000 stupas over the Buddha's relics is found within the Ashokavadana.