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SOME COMMON ELEMENTS IN BRAHMANISM AND BUDDHISM
R.N. Mehta
ॐ अतीतार्थ त्रिपादं च पञ्चबलसमन्वितम् । Aun. Atītārtham tripadam ca pañca-bala-samanvitan पञ्चकर्मसमाराध्यमितिहासमुपामहे ।। Panca-karma-samārādliyam itihasam upāsmale स्थिरद्रव्यसमुत्पन्नां धरास्तरलनिवासिनीं । Sthira-dravya-samutpannām dharāstaranivasinin वन्दे पुरावस्तुविद्यां नरकार्यप्रबोधिनीम् ।। Vande pură-vastu-vidyām narakāryaprabodhinīm.
Introduction
It was an occasion of Mantrajāgarana, when the followers of the four Vedic Samhitās were reciting the Mantras. The musical inelody of the Sāmaveda, that is the main Veda of the Upveda of music, was enchanting.
After returning from the Mantrajāgarana, I had the rare opportunity to listen to the recitation of the Buddhist Šramanas from Thailand. They were my wards in the M.S. University of Baroda. The nearness of these experiences in time indicated a close affinity in these two melodies, that from the Sāmaveda and that practised by the Buddhists. At another Mantrajāgarana, in Vadodarā, I proposed that the Vedic Pandits should listen to the Buddhists. They agreed. So, I requested my hostel Śramanas to come to Mantrajāgarana, then both the groups listened to each other, tliey were surprised at their common heritage in recitation.
This experience led the speaker to look into the phenomenon more closely.
Being a field worker, while exploring the archaeological mounds at Nagara, the older Cambay, a sand-stone image of Buddhanātha that was worshipped by the local people on Dipāwali was examined. It was an iniage of one of the Dhyāni Buddha Vrirocana, and his worship was being carried on with utmost reverence, by those who were claiming that they are not Buddhists.
