Indian Antiquary Vol 22

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 21

JANUARY, 1893.]
NOTE ON SOME AJANTA PAINTINGS.
that in the outer circle are pourtrayed in concrete pictorial form, the twelve nidánas, regarding the exact sense of which there have been so many divergent opinions, owing to scholars hitherto having had only the ambiguous Pali and Sanskrit terms to interpret from.
Again from Lamaic sources, I now offer a note on two more of the Ajanta paintings, which may be of interest at the present time, when a new edition of these paintings is being published.
1.-Avalokita as 'The Defender from the Eight Dreads.' This painting is also in Cave XVII., forming No. В in the series of photographs of Mr. Griffith's copies, and $ IV. in the report of Dr. Burgess, who, in his brief note of eight lines, entitles it the Litany of Avalokitesvara,' and notes that of the oval compartments at each side only a few can be partially made out.'
This picture is not very uncommon in Tibet, where it is known as 'Avalokita: The Defender from the Eight Dreads.' It is thus described by the great Lama Taranatha in his gsung-hbums or The Hundred Thousand Sayings.
Arya Avalokita is represented in a standing posture in the form of a rishit of a white complexion, with one face and two bands. The right hand is in the bestowing' attitude (mudra). The left hand holds a rosary and an anointing vase or pitcher. He is dressed in white silk, with Amitabha seated in the locks of his bair.
The secondary figures depict scenes, which are eight in number, four being on each side of the central figure. On the right are the following scenes :1. Dread in Fire. Two villagers being at enmity, one of them set fire to the other's house ;
when the one in the burning house, unable to escape, prayed O! Avalokita !' Instantly over his house appeared a white cloud, which gave forth a copious shower of rain, and so
the fire was quenched. 2. Dread in Prison. Once a thief entered the king's store and finding there & vase of wine
drank deeply, and becoming intoxicated fell asleep. In the morning the king's servants found him and having fettered him cast him into prison. In his distress the man prayed to Avalokita. Then a bird of five colours, an incarnation of Avalokita, appeared and loosened
his chains, and the prison door was opened and the man escaped to his home. 3. Dread in Plunder. A wealthy merchant set out to Maru, with a thousand camels and
five hundred of the best horses laden with valuables. He saw by the way the bones of many previous travellers, who had been murdered by robbers; and he himself was attacked by these robbers. In his fear he prayed to Avalokita, when instantly appeared a host of heroes armed with swords - incarnations of Avalokita himself , who came to the
merchant's rescue, and defeating the would-be robbers the merchant oscaped in safety. 4. Dread in Water. Five thousand merchants went to the Southern Ratnadwip (= Ceylon)
in three ships. In returning to their own country they filled one ship with jewels and setting sail they reached Chandan-bhùmipradhan-dwip.7 The 'wealth-owners' (spirits) of the ocean being angry, sent storms which blew the ships ont of their courses. And when the ships were enveloped in a mighty wave and about to founder one of the merchants prayed to Avalokita. Then instantly the storm ceased, and they all reached their own countries in safety.
: Arch. Survey, West-Indiu, Rep. No. 9.
apyan-rai-grig. There is no element in the word representing Ituara. • Drang-orong.
The rosary is almost a chinha of Avalokita. • spyi-blago ( literally crown of head' + 'to pat"): Beal, Si-yu-ki, II. 187) appears to have misinterpreted this object. It is also believed to hold perfume.
* Tean-Idan-sa-mcbhog kyi gling, probably the Sunderbans or their eastern section, the modern Sandwip.