Teachers of Heterodox Sects Buddhism and Jainism in eyes of Puranas

Author(s): N P Joshi
Publisher: Z_Nirgrantha_1_022701.pdf and Nirgrantha_2_022702.pdf and Nirgrantha_3_022703.pdf

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Teachers of....
recommends the worship of his image. On the other hand, some Smṛtis like that of Vrddha Härita" pointedly lay down that the Buddha should not be worshipped. We do not come across independent figures of Brahmanical Buddha though he is seen as one of the avatāras on the back slab of some of the Visnu figures, specially from eastern India, and in the parikara-frames showing the ten incarnations of Visnu.
Vol. 1-1995
In this connection some of the Puranas like the Matsya and the Varaha recommend another line of action. Describing the Naksatrapuruṣa-vrata, the Matsya recommends worship of the Vasudeva or Visņu figure-specially its forehead on Citra nakṣatra-in the name of the Buddha50. The Varahapurāņa also does the same when talking about Buddha Dvadas. It prescribes the worship of a gold figure of Damodara, placed on a jar, on the 11th day of Sukla paksa of Śrāvana. Next day, the jar was to be given in däna to a brāhmaṇa well-versed in the Vedas.
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So much about the Buddha and his image, but there is something more interesting about the tree that is Asvattha or Pippala, which is sacred to the Buddha, normally known as his Bodhi-vrksa. In the Brahmanical tradition, the Advattha tree has been regarded as sacred and cutting any of its part has been prohibited, this is because of its identification with Visnu. The Padmapuräna tells us the story of the brälimana Dhananjaya, who once cut the Asvattha tree for collecting fuel. Thereupon Visnu himself came out of the tree with blood oozing from the wounds on his body. On being questioned, the god said that Dhananjaya himself was responsible for that cruelty, because he had used his axe on the very person of Visņu". At another place perhaps due to the Buddhist influence, this Purāna calls the Aśvattha tree as Bodhi-taru and Bodhisattva".
Perhaps to exercise some check on the ever-spreading popularity of Asvattha as a sacred object under the Buddhist influence, some of the Puranas tabooed touching it on other days of the week except Saturday. By way of giving a reason for this taboo, they created two myths:
1. Raksasa Kaitabha had two sons named Asvattha and Pippala. The first would assume form of the Asvattha tree and killed all those who embraced the stem of the tree. Pippala on the other hand became a brahmana, a teacher of the Samaveda, and devoured the students who would come to him for learning the hymns. At last the two demons were punished and killed by Sani or god Saturn, and declared that, only on his day, the Asvattha could be freely touched by the people", specially to ward off his planetary effects.
2. In the Padmapuräna, on being questioned by the Rsis as to how the Bodhi-tree became untouchable on days other than Saturday, Suta told that Jyestha, the goddess of Poverty, resides at the root of the Aśvattha tree and only on