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DECEMBER, 1893.
NOTES ON ANTIQUITIES IN RAMANNADESA.
359
Srijñâna. At the age of thirty-one he was ordained in the highest order of Bhiksha, and also given the vows of a Bodhisattva by Dharma Rakshita. He received. lessons in metaphysics from several eminent Buddhist philosophers of Magadha." He was in short a typical Northern teacher of the time.
Now Sarat Chandra Das goes on to tell us that Dipankara "on account of these divers attainments, which moved his mind variously in different directions, resolved to go to Acharya Chandrakirtti, the High Priest of Suvarnadvipa. Accordingly, in the company of sone merchants, he embarked for Suvarnadvipa in a large vessel. The voyage was long and tedious, extending over several months, during which the travellers were overtaken by terrible storms. At this time Suvarnad vipa was the headquarters of Buddhism in the East, and its High Priest was considered the greatest scholar of his age. Dipankara resided there for a period of twelve years, in order to completely master the pure teachings of the Buddha, of which the key was possessed by the High Priest alone." On his return he took up his residence at the shrine of the Mahâbôdhi at Vajrâsana (Buddha Gaya).
Sarat Chandra Das also remarks, and he seems to be right in so doing, that Suvarnadvipa was Thaton.
Also, I cannot help quoting a note by Dr. Rost to p. 234 of Vol. I, of his edition of Miscellaneous Pupers relating to Indo-China in which, after describing Prof, Kern's work in connection with the Sanskrit inscriptions in the peninsula of Malacca, he says: - "These inscriptions confirm in a remarkable manner the conclusions to which the recent (1886) decipherments by Barth, Bergaigne, Senart and Kern, of the Cambodian inscriptions inevitably tend - viz., that Buddhism came to the peninsuls and Oamboja, not from Ceylon, but from regions on the coasts of India, where the so-called Northern type of that religion was ourrent."
That the great mediæval revival of Buddhism in Barma was supported by Sonthern influ. ence is unquestionable, but it is far from proved as yet that the original Buddhism of the country was not directly Indian in origin, or that medieval Northern Buddhism did not greatly affect the ideas of the people. As regards the educated, Tantrik worship and philosophy would seem to have disappeared, but, under cover of nat-(spirit) worship, it would seem to still largely survive among the people.
In any case, any such images as those under consideration are worth study, wherever found in order to settle the fundamental point now raised.
To put the matter fairly before the student, it is right to add here the views that a capable Hindu soholar takes of the figures shewn on Plates XIII, XIV., and XIVa, and so I give here verbatim an opinion kindly expressed for me by Pandit Hari Mohan Vidyâbhashan, who has no doubt as to the Vaishnava nature of the stones, He writes :* Plates XIV. and XIVa illustrate the Ananta-śagyå of Narayana (Vishņu), i. e., Vishga is represented in human form slambering on the serpent Sasha, and floating on the waters before the creation of the world, or during the periods of temporary annihilation of the universe, The figure at the bottom of the Plates is that of Narayana with four arms. He is floating on the waters reclining on the serpent Sesha. In Plate XIVa the hood of the serpent.is visible. Two of the most common names of Vishnu are Chatur-bhuja (four-armed) and Ananta-bayana (he who sleeps on the serpent Ananta). From the lotus of his navel spring the three gods of the Hindu triad, - Brahma, Vishyu and Maheśvara. The three stalks of the lotus are very clear in Plate XIV. The figure on the right of the triad is Brahmû with foar heads, whence his dames Chatarinana (four-faced), Nábhija (navel born), and Abja-yoni (lotas born). The figure in the middle with four arms represents Vishu, the sankha, or coach, in his hand (in Plate XIV.) being visible. The figure on the left is Mahéévara, the trisula in his hand being quite plain in Plate XIV. One of his names is Trisali.
