The Beginnings of Buddhist Art and Other Essays in Indian and Central-Asian Archaeology c9.84

c9.84

These waverings of tradition, as they are thus indicated in the texts, may help us to understand the at first somewhat surprising choice of the Indian image-makers. Regarding the fact of the choice itself there is, as we said above, no room for doubt. Let us resume the examination of the new panel, no. 5 of plate XIX, 1 : On a lotus, whose peduncle issues from a ripple of waves rolled into volutes, Buddha is seated with crossed legs in the hallowed posture, and his hands are joined in the gesture of instruction; on his right and left, again, there rises a *padma* with a long stalk, bearing another smaller Buddha, similar in all respects to the first... Now it is written in the *Divyâvadâna* that at that moment — namely, at a second invitation from Prasenajit and when the first series of miracles was already accomplished — « Buddha conceived a mundane thought ». Immediately the Gods rush forward to execute it : Brahmâ takes a place at his right and Çakra at his left, while the two Nâga kings, Nanda and Upananda, create entire a wonderful lotus, on the corolla of which the Blessed One seats himself. Then by the force of his magic power, « above this lotus he created another, and on this one also a Buddha was seated with his legs crossed : and thus in front, behind, at the sides... » The crowd of Buddhas, holding themselves in the four consecrated attitudes (erect, walking, seated, or recumbent), soon rise to the highest heavens (¹). The bas-relief, unable to juggle, like the text, with numbers and forms, shows us just three of them, all alike seated : but by now there is for us no question that we must see in this restricted space an attempt, however timid, to realize the legendary phantasmagoria.