Lead me to heaven from battlefield Part lll

Prof Anuradha SENEVIRATNA

Continued from June 30

However, in Buddhism it is the klesas or desires that should be destroyed and won enabling one to attain the final emancipation which is nirvana. For a sage who seeks the final goal in life, the klesa or desires are the enemies that should be fought and conquered. This simile of the battlefield for a ksatriya is equal to a fight against desire by a sage. Therefore the sculpture in a hero stone should be viewed from this piont of view as well.

The rewet obtained by a soldier in the battlefield whether it is death by defeat or victory by killing is the same. This is the duty of a soldier and his honour remains there. Viewed from this aspect we find that there is no difference between the idea depicted in a Hindu and Buddhist Hero stones. From the Hindu point of view the dead hero attains moksa to fain god Siva and from the Buddhist point of view the dead hero in the battle field attains nirvana during the very life time of a Buddha. The image of a Buddha symbolizes the nirvana in the Hero Stone. When Paranavitana attempts to make us believe that the final goal of the dead hero is to attain Buddha Aksobhya who symbolizes vinnana or consciousness, one of the five Skandas, it is purely a mental journey. The sculptures in a Viragala or hero stone could be interpreted simply. In other words the dead hero attains nirvana by the meritorious deed he has performed by sacrificing his life in the battle field. This is the Buddhist view of a Hindu concept. The merit obtained by sacrifice of life in the battle field by a soldier or defeating an enemy in the battle field is the same. Both are meritorious deeds though killing is a sin, according to Buddhism.

The Buddha in this slab of stone under discussion is depicted seated in the virasana. The hand gesture is in the Bhusparsa mudra. There are ample examples of Buddha statues found in this posture belonging to the early Anuradhapura period.

In this slab of stone there are also two celestial damsels on either side of the Buddha carrying whisks or camaras. Paranavitana argues that this Buddha depicted in the Bhusparsa mudra is none other than Aksobhya. This hypothesis cannot be accepted without further evidence.

Another significant aspect of the Bhusparsa mudra in the Sri Lankan Buddhist tradition is that this particular posture or the gesture of touching the earth is an indication of the victory of Sakyamuni over Mara where the earth stands as a witness to that event Conquering the evil Mara by Buddha also goes with the present theme - the victory in the battle field. Buddha statues of this nature belonging to the Chola period are found in Kanchipuram.

According to Mahayana Buddhist iconography Buddha Aksobhya should be depicted with an elephant as a sign of his vehicle. But there is no such sign of an elephant depicted in this sculpture. He also should carry a Vajra weapon in his hand. Once again there is also no such sign in the sculpture. The only sign in this sculpture to determine the figure of Buddha as Aksobhya is the Bhuspara mudra. But this mudra is common to Buddha Sakyamuni as well. Though there is a sign of a Jatamakuta in this figure most of the South Indian Buddha statues depict the usnisa with a heavy lump of hairs on the head. Therefore it cannot be taken as a Jatamakuta that is very often worn by bodhisatvas and dhyani Buddhas. So far we have not discovered any Buddha statues in Sri Lanka that could be attributed to Aksobhysa. This is another reason to reject the identity of this figure as Aksobya by Paranavitana. The most common Buddha Statue of Mahayana origin discovered in Sri Lanka are that of Avalokatesvara Natha and Maitreya. Further, according to Mahayana rules of iconography, Aksobhya should be depicted either with four or six hands. However, statues with two hands also are discovered from India and Tibet. The Buddha depicted in the Sinhala Hero stone is undoubtedly Sakyamuni and from the point of view of its iconography it has features common to South Indian Buddha images. The present Hero Stone is the creation of the Sinhala Buddhists. It is undoubtedly influenced by the Hindu sculpture of the South Indian Pallavas.

Two more 'Hero Stones' were discovered from Anuradhapura which are now kept in the National Museum at Polonnaruwa. One of the two could be identified as a Hero Stone depicting self sacrifice. The other contains sculptures on both sides. On one side it depicts as soldier at war and on the other side the same enjoying heavenly bliss after his death. These are only three Hero Stones so far discovered from Sri Lanka and probably belonging to the 10th or 11th Century.

The Raja Maha Vihara at Dambadeniya also has two free standing slabs of Hero Stones belonging to the 13th century. Paranavitana commenting on these two slabs says:

On one, the lowest panel shows a person perhaps a warrior being attacked with spears by two men on either side of him. The middle panel shows the Buddha figure with the hands in the dharma-cakra-mudra and the topmost panel shows a linga being worshipped by two devotees.

In the second slab the lowest of the three panels shows a man in front of an elephant, possibly about to be attacked by the beast. Above this the man, perhaps dead is being carried away by two persons. The top of the slab is occupied by a linga on a pedestal with a devotee by its side.

The rendering of the individual figures on these slabs is rather stiff though a certain dramatic quality is not lacking in the lower scenes. The presence of the linga indicates that these were works of South Indian artists.

The first Hero statue above described is most interesting for, it shows the assimilation of both the Hindu and Buddhist ideals of salvation though sacrifice in the battle field. Though the Buddha has never said a Ksatriya or a warrior who sacrifices his life in the battle field attains Buddhahood or Nirvana it was the Hindu concept that was adopted by the Buddhists in the medieval period due to Hindu influence in Sri Lanka. Thus, the first slab at Dambadeniya Vihara makes us believe that either way both Buddhists and Hindus could attain the final goal by life sacrifice in the battlefield for the sake of the country and the ruler. The second slab under discussion is similar in arrangement compared to a Virakal found at Kummata, northwest of Vijayanagara. Here too the bottom panel depicts the figure of a fallen hero riding a horse assailed by footmen, with a figure lying on the ground. At Dambadeniya the hero is depicted fallen down attacked by an elephant in the battlefield.

The middle panel shows that the dead is carried by two persons similar to the Virakal found at Kummata. The topmost panels in both these places have one common motif and that is the figure of a linga.

So far, we have discovered five Hero Stones in Sri Lanka belonging to the period between the 10th and 13th century and they are interesting to compare with the South Indian Virakal in respect of their sculptural and religious values.

Concluded