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XI.
APPARITION OF A STÚPA.
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CHAPTER XI.
APPARITION OF A STÚPA.
Then there arose a Stapa, consisting of seven precious substances, from the place of the earth opposite the Lord, the assembly being in the middle 1, a Stûpa five hundred yoganas in height and proportionate in circumference. After its rising, the Stapa, a meteoric phenomenon, stood in the sky sparkling, beautiful, nicely decorated with five thousands successive terraces of flowers", adorned with many thousands of arches, embellished by thousands of banners and triumphal streamers, hung with thousands of jewel-garlands and with hourplates and bells, and emitting the scent of Xanthochymus and sandal, which scent filled this whole world. Its row of umbrellas rose so far on high as to touch the abodes of the four guardians of the
Between the Lord (i.e. the Sun) and the Stûpa of seven Ratnas, i. e. here, it would seem, the rainbow of seven colours. We shall see that the Stapa has also another function, that of symbolising the celestial dhishnya in which sun and moon are standing. Cf. E. Senart, Essai sur la légende du Buddha, p. 436.
? Vaihâyasam, in the neuter gender, whereas stūpa is masculine.
The number of colours is now five, then seven. Moreover there ought to be a parallelism between the five colours and the five planets, and, on the other hand, between the seven ratnas, or colours, and the grahas, including sun and moon. In Rigveda we find saptarasmi and pankarasmi. • Pushpagrahanivedika.
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| SR No. | 007677 |
| Book Title | Saddharma Pundarika |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | H Kern |
| Publisher | Oxford |
| Publication Year | 1884 |
| Total Pages | 2546 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 46 MB |