The Beginnings of Buddhist Art and Other Essays in Indian and Central-Asian Archaeology c6.s1.7

c6.s1.7

XIX. Among our bas-reliefs we find still another fairly picturesque illustration of this moral conception. It is taken from the history of Mahâjanaka (Jat. 539). A son, born in exile, of the widow of a king of Mithilâ, I will pass over the adventures which finally re-establish him on the throne which his uncle has usurped, and at the same time win for him the hand of his beautiful cousin Sîvalî. What is of importance to us here is the resolution, which he soon forms, of taking to the religious life and the useless efforts to which his wife resorts in order to retain him in the world. At last he departs; but his wife belongs to that variety of woman which our writers of vaudevilles call « clinging » ; and she obstinately adheres to his steps. Vainly does a remnant of politeness lead him to make use of various symbols in order to mark his decided intention to deprive himself henceforth of a companionship which he looks upon as an obstacle to his deliverance : she will listen to none of them, not even the plainest, such as the one represented, with the names of the persons to vouch for it, on the railing at Barhut (pl. VI, 5). The king, who has already cast aside his diadem, is standing, still followed by the queen, in front of an armourer's bench and with the two first fingers raised is speaking in parables. The artisan is about to straighten an arrow which he has just put through the fire, and, closing one eye, is examining with the other whether it is straight. To a premeditated question from Mahâjanaka he replies that one can judge the straightness of things much better with a single one eye than with two : for, except in solitude, there is no salvation for man.