Content area
Full text
Buddha Śākyamuni (Siddhārta), after having received the fruit of Bodhi (enlightenment), started propagating the doctrine of liberation from the karmic cycle. He normally used to propagate his message through his convincing discourses but whenever and wherever needed he performed prodigious happenings to convince people and convert them to his doctrine. Following is the description of an important occasion when he performed a series of miracles at Śrāvasti after having been challenged by heretic teachers of the time while in audience rulers and other nobles were present. This event has been beautifully represented in the Gandhāra sculpture. In this paper a pertinent series of successive events are mentioned as they occurred originally in the light of text and narrative sculpture and then its socio-religious background and iconographic symbolism has been discussed at the end.
Keywords: Buddha, Miracles, Śrāvasti, Text, Gandhara Sculpture.
The Story as related in the text
Having paid visit to the Kapilavāstu, the city of his birth, and converted his father and many others the Buddha proceeded to Śmvasti ruled by Prasenajit.
After his arrival in Jetavāna Park the king paid him a visit and after a long conversation he was converted to the Good Law. Like a few other kings Prasenajit of Kośala (where Śmvasti is located) was also converted from Brahmanism to the Doctrine of Buddhism. He not only became a follower of the doctrine but also a powerful supporter of the order of the Buddhist monks (Säňgha).
The Blessed Buddha was dwelling in Rājagrha at the bamboo grove of kalandaka-nivāpa. Kings ministers and the wealthy merchants were honoring him with bountiful offerings. Upon seeing this Māra, the devil, made a great plan. He went to the six teachers one by wearing a disguise and convinced then to challange the asectic Gautama to a marvelous display of superhuman powers (Fiordalis, 2014). Thus the six teachers Purāna Kāšyapa and the rest after knowing that the king had also been converted by Buddha, challenged him of the Ten Forces to a display of magic powers; and when the king requested him to do so, Buddha accepted the challenge and defeated them all like a sun outshining the stars (Asvaghosa, 1936).
With the rise of Buddhism the spiritual friction increased in the society. There...