Ruins of Buddhistic Temples in Prågå Valley—Tyandis Båråbudur, Mendut and PawonGroneman, I. (Isaac)
Religion
Ruins of Buddhistic Temples in Prågå Valley—Tyandis Båråbudur, Mendut and Pawon
Groneman, I. (Isaac)
Buddhist temples; Temples -- Indonesia -- Java
Time was when the Lord himself was a _king_ to whom one of his subjects
offered his most beautiful daughter. At the advice of his courtiers sent
to her, fearing that the king would become crazy of love for such an
strikingly beautiful woman, he declines the offer after which she
marries one of his officials. One day taking a drive the king saw her,
and took a passionate love to her. On his being informed that she had
already entered upon marriage he controls his passions, and even refuses
to get her from the hands of her own husband, because he places his
feelings of justice above his personal happiness.
On 1 the offer is being delivered to the king; on 2 his messengers visit
the virgin; on 3 they give the prince a full account of the state of
things, and on 4 the king meets her himself.
_Fifth_ corner. 5 [W. L., 52].
As a retired old _sailor_ the Lord, though almost blind, allowed himself
to be gained into embarking for a commercial journey in order to assure
the ship a safe voyage.
A heavy storm flung the ship far away, and through unknown seas till
near the end of the world. Return again was impossible and their ruin
seemed to be inevitable. One means only could save them, and they prayed
the deities for help for the sake of the Lord’s spotless virtue and love
of truth. And this succeeded.
The storm abated, and they could return to the harbour. On their journey
home through an emerald-green sea, the blind sailor, seeing with the
eyes of other passengers, told them to pull up sand and stones from the
bottom of the sea, and take them on board by way of ballast. On their
arrival into the harbour this appeared to be precious stones and jewels.
The only remained sculpture shows us the merchants with their ship on
the open sea.
_Fifth_ corner, 9 and 10 [W. L., 56 and 57].
We here see the Lord as a _fish_ obeyed by all other fishes of the lake.
Because of want of rain this lake once dried up, and became a little
pool in which the fish didn’t know any means to escape from the birds of
prey. The _Bodhisattva_ prayed Indra for rain as a reward for his true
virtue, and the deity himself came to him, and it rained as fast as it
could pour, and Indra promised that the very same spot would be never
tried again by such a plague.
The first sculpture represents the fishes in the lake before, and the
other one, after the rain.
_Fifth_ corner, 11 [W. L. 58].
A young _sparrow_—it was the _Bodhisattva_—who despised all little worms
and insects—was outdistanced by the other young of the paternal nest.
When on the occasion of a forest-fire all other animals fled away he
only remained behind, because he could not fly. Praying he knew to
persuade the fire-god Agni into going off. Since that day every
forest-fire died out on this spot.
We see the young sparrow on the nest whilst the other birds fly away in
all directions, and while all other animals give way for the fire.
_Fifth_ corner, 12 [W. L. 59].
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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