Indian Antiquary Vol 22

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

Page 22

10
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[JANUARY, 1893.
On the left hand of the central figure are depicted the following scenes :5. Dread of Enemy. A king named Otibishar was sleeping in a grove, when a party of
armed enemies surrounded him and were about to kill him, when he prayed to Avalokita, who instantly appeared, and from beneath his feet arose a fearful wind which dispersed
the enemies to the ten directions. 6. Dread of Elephant. A girl went to a forest to gather flowers. She encountered an
elephant named Khani(=? bloody), which caught her around the waist with his trunk and was about to kill her, when she prayed to Avalokita. Then the elephant instantly released
her and she escaped unhurt. 7. Dread of Lion. A wood-catter went to a forest, and met a hungry lioness which was about
to seize and eat him. Being much terrifted he prayed to Avalokita. Then instantly appeared A white boy dressed in tree-leaves and lifting him up bore him off through the air and set
him down in the midst of the city. 8. Dread of Venomous Snakes. A courtesan on her way to a merchant's house after dark,
after leaving her house was attacked by a black venomous snake. In her fear she prayed to Avalokita, then the snake immediately became white (.e. harmless) and disappeared into the river.
II. The Nine Bodhisattvas. This group of Buddha and The Nine Bodhisattvas' is also in Cave XVII. and forms photograph B details of L' of Griffith's Series and paragraph &XXXI of Bargess, who merely notes regarding it that Buddha stands surrounded by four Arbats and two Bodhisattvas.
The Nine Bodhisattvas' consist of four anadorned disciples standing in front, and in the background five bejewelled and crowned lay devotees. Taranatha describes them in his mdsad lrgya or The Hundred Deeds. Following his description, I give here a key to the picture, in which the firm-line ovals represent the faces of the figures in the foreground, and the dotted ayols the faces of the background figures of the group :
1. Sakya Muni. 2. Samantabhadra, incarnate as a diseiple of Buddha. 3. Vajrapani
do. 4. Manjusri
do. 5. Avalokita
do. 8. Brahma, incarnate as an earthly king to hear Buddha's teaching. 7, Indra
do. 8. Iswara
do.
do. 9. Vishnu
do.
do. 10. King Prasenajit 10 of Kosala, & contemporary of Buddha and one of his first converts.
This is of course a mythical arrangement of Buddha's disciples. But the Lamas, following their Indian traditions, explain that four of the historic disciples of Buddha and four of
do.
Literally 'son.'
Op. cit. p. 60. 10 gwal-rgyal. See also Cuoma de Körösi in Asiatic Researches, XX. p. 76, 294, &o.