Buddhist Gems 16
Dharmadeva
The seventh meaning of the word kadara is aun'kusha [prod]. Most of us
are familiar with the object called aunkusha with whose help a small
human being is able to make a huge and powerful animal like an
elephant sit. In old Sanskrit the word kadara was more common than the
word aunkusha, but in the Sanskrit of subsequent times, especially the
Sanskrit of the Buddhist era, the use of the word kadara decreased
significantly. We see the word aunkusha used in all cases for the
weapon in the hand of the Buddhist gods and goddesses; the word kadara
has not been used. About the Buddhist Tantric goddess, S'od'ashii, it
has been said:
Pa'sha'nkushasharaca'padha'rin'ii
Shiva' S'od'ashiiru'pa' shivabha'vinii
[The Operative Principle, in the form of S'od'ashii, the consort of
Lord Shiva, holding pa'sha [binding rope], aunkusha, shara [arrow] and
ca'pa [bow].]
...
In the pre-Buddhist era Burdwan was the capital of Rarh. In the
Buddhist and Jain era it remained Rarh's capital. During the Mughal
period (during the reign of Akbar) Burdwan was the capital of Suba-
Ba'ngal. But Konnagar had no such royal glamour. It was just a
cultured village of Burdwan District (the district of Hooghly was not
created then). Iishan Chandra Ghosh, the renowned Bengali scholar of
medieval Bengal; Rama Chandra Ghosh, the illustrious logician and
author of scriptures; Pra'n'atosa' Biswas, the most erudite Sanskrit
and scriptural scholar; and Dr. Krs'n'adhan Ghosh (Aurobinda's
father),the first Bengali District Medical Officer (DMO) and Civil
Surgeon, were all born in Konnagar.
...
King Mithi occupied Videha. To sanctify the land he held a
Trihotriiya' Yajina [a big sacrifice presided over by three priests].
It was then declared sacred. The land sanctified by the performance of
a Trihotriiya' Yajina was named Trihut. The land of Sha'kya'ran'ya,
although not widely valued by the Aryans, was respected by the
Buddhists. Lord Buddha visited it a couple of times. Later, it became
known as Sha'ran'a (Sha'kya'ran'ya > Sha'kya'ran'a > Sha'ran'a). In
later years it was wrongly spelt as Sha'ran.
On the north of Sha'kya'ran'ya was the ancient and famous place,
Champaka'ran'ya. A reference is made to it in the Ra'ma'yan'a [one of
the two great Sanskrit epics] (Campaka'ran'ya > Campa'ran'ya >
Camparan'). Sha'kya'ran'ya and Campaka'ran'ya are situated in the
Na'ra'yan'ii-Gan'd'aka valley. On the eastern bank is Videha or
Mithila' or Trihut, the land which was occupied by King Mithi. Mithi +
la' [holder] + -d'a [suffix] + -a' [feminine suffix] = Mithila'.
In the Buddhist period one of the famous villages of Sha'kya'ran'ya
was Hatthiigra'm (Hastiigra'ma in Sanskrit). Buddha visited this place
a couple of times. It is now known as Ha'thoya'. During British rule
the Ha'thoya' estate was one of the biggest estates in India. Then
came the river Gan'd'akii -- Na'ra'yan'ii Gan'd'aka. The biggest
cattle fair in India, known as the Hariharks'etra fair, is held once a
year on the banks of this river. Nearby is the Shon'pur railway
station.
...
At Vaeshali* in Trihut District Vardhama'na Maha'viira was born into a
Vaeshya (merchant) family. His father's name was Siddha'rtha and his
mother was called Trishala'. The Trihut District as well as Mithila'
were located partly in the Na'ra'yan'ii-Gan'd'aka valley and partly in
the Bur'igan'daka and Lakhandei valleys. There was more Gaod'iiya
influence here than in Ar'ya'var'tta. The Bengali script is used here.
It is to be noted that both Buddha and Maha'viira were born in a place
where there was less Aryan influence in comparison.
* Vaeshali was the land of the Licchabis; it was the oldest republic
in the world. -- Trans.
Shrii Shrii Anandamurti
SHABDA CAYANIKA' PART 3
DISCOURSE 17
KAKUBH TO KAVAS'N'A
12th January 1986, Calcutta
---
Atiisha
The word ati has various meanings. Sometimes it implies "abundance",
sometimes it signifies "excess", sometimes "that part of growth which
is unnecessary". The word iisha means "lord", "controller",
"director", "ruler"; the formal meaning of atiisha is "formidable
ruler" or Maha'kaola. Its colloquial meaning is "fit to be welcomed by
all" -- wise sage. During the Buddhist era, those who were firmly
established in profound wisdom used to be known as atiisha.
The Gobhi was also a part of Gondwanaland. Magdha had gods and
goddesses during the Maha'ya'na Buddhist era. In the rocky land that
is in front of Sha'masuddin Miyan's house in Pa'ha'd'iya' village
there were different figures of gods and goddesses from Magadha's
Buddhist era, some broken or half-broken, and others still intact.
Today the rivers of Magadha have all but dried up, but it was not
always so. At one time the source of its rivers was in the deep
forest. There was a great deal of rainfall in those days and the
rivers used to flow twelve months a year. Today, as a result of
senseless destruction of the forest, Magadha is gradually being turned
into a desert. The village where we met was a little outside the Kiul
valley. It falls within the jurisdiction of the Ksuri valley. Today
the Ks'uri river** has dried up but at one time it was a very big
river. This can be ascertained by measuring the width of its source.
** The river flows just past Nawada station.
It is true that, at that time, the Mahayanii Buddhist god Ma'riici was
popular among the people. Some people used to do Mar'iici
pu'ja' [worship] and others used to throw sand in the idol's face to
get the god to leave the village. Ha'riiti was also popular in Magadha
but one would not usually see both Ma'r'iici and Ha'riiti in the same
place. At one spot in the Ks'uri valley we found idols of both
Ma'r'iici and Ha'riiti.
Ha'riiti was also a Mahayana Buddhist goddess. The difference between
Ma'riici and Ha'riiti was that Ha'riiti was worshipped by both the
Mahayana Buddhists and the Shveta'mbara Jains. We found both Ha'riiti
and Ma'riici in the Ks'uri river basin. One can deduce from this that
in this part of Magadha both Buddhism and Jainism existed side by
side. Whether as enemies or friends,they lived together.
It may also be, moreover, that this river basin was the original
centre of Mahayana Buddhism. It should not be forgotten that Rajagir-
Nalanda, Barhgaon, Mahabihar (Biharsharif), Paharhiya (the village of
Maharsi Sainjaya, the philosophy teacher of Lord Buddha), and
Pavapurii (the place where Varddhaman Mahaviira died) are all in the
Ks'uri river valley. At one time, the river had a very sharp
(ks'uradha'ra'vat), strong current. Thus in Sanskrit its name became
ks'urika'. Later that became ks'uri in Bengali. Here it should also be
remembered that the current dialects of the Magahii language have been
spread through the river basins.
Coming from Caopara'n, the road is okay now. In one place a banyan
tree had fallen. As you know, there are quite a lot of banyan trees in
Magadha. Not only nowadays, during the Buddhist era also there used to
be banyan trees* outside many villages.
* In the Magahii language, the banyan tree is called bar'ke rukh. At
one time yaks'a [a mythological race of demons] worship used to be
performed at the foot of the banyan tree. The people used to have both
devotion and fear for that place. Even today people do not go there
alone after dark.
Shrii Shrii Anandamurti
29 September 1985, Calcutta
SHABDHA CAYANIKA' PART 1
DISCOURSE 3
AUNKA TO AKS'A