8/11/2019 Tanabe Why is the Buddha kyamuni Accompanied by Hercules Vajrapi
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Why Is the Buddha kyamuni Accompanied by Hercules/Vajrapi? Farewell to Yaka-theoryAuthor(s): Katsumi Tanabe
Reviewed work(s):Source: East and West, Vol. 55, No. 1/4 (December 2005), pp. 363-381Published by: Istituto Italiano per l'Africa e l'Oriente (IsIAO)Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/29757654.Accessed: 24/01/2013 19:47
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Why
Is
the
Buddha
S?kyamuni
Accompanied
byHercules/Vajrap?ni?
Farewell
to
Yaksa-theory
by
Katsumi
Tanabe
Introductory Remarks
In
the Gandharan Buddhist
reliefs,
the Buddha
??kyamuni
is
represented,
as a
rule,
accompanied
or
followed
by
a
male
figure
(Fig.
1)
holding
a
vajra
(=
thunderbolt)
n
his
hand,
traditionally
alled
Vajrap?ni
(thunderbolt-bearer).
his
male
figure
has
attracted
the attention
of
many
scholars
since
the
discovery
of
Gandharan
sculptures
in
the
19th
century.
A.
Cunningham
identified
him
as
Devadatta,
while
A.
Gr?nwedel
suggested
it
was
possibly
Indra
or
M?ra
P?piy?n
or
Vajrap?ni
(Cunningham
before
1893,
mentioned
by
Gr?nwedel 1893:
88;
1901:
87-95,
figs.
42-46;
Santoro 1979:
294,
n.
4).
However,
Oldenburg
(1901:
223)
definitively
dentified the
male
figure
as
Vajrap?ni
(this
identification
as soon
followed
by
Senart 1905;
Vogel
1909 and Foucher 1905:277; 1918: 48-64,
figs.
26
334).
Finally
Lamotte
(1966)
and
Santoro
(1991)
contributed
long
exhaustive and
detailed
article
to
clarifying
many
problems
concerning
this
enigmatic Vajrap?ni.
Therefore,
it
might
be considered
pointless
for
me
to
contribute
a
short
article
to
solve the
problem
of Gandharan
Vajrap?ni.
However,
as
Santoro
(1991: 293)
correctly
remarks,
the
problem
of
the identification
and function of
Gandharan
Vajrap?ni
is
still
not
completely
solved. That
is
to
say,
the
reason
why
the
image
of
Hercules
was
consciously
chosen and
intentionally exploited by
Gandharan
sculptors
in
order
to
depict
Vajrap?ni
is
not at
all clear.
It
goes
without
saying
that the
physical
type
of
Vajrap?ni
was
fundamentally
derived from that of Hercules. However,
no
scholar has
ever
given any convincing
explanation
of the
most
important
problem why
the
image
of
Hercules
was
preferred
by
Gandharan
sculptors
to
other
Greek
gods,
demi-gods
and
heroes.
Needless
to
say,
there
are
several
proposed
solutions
to
this
problem (equating
the
function f
Hercules with
that f
Yaksa
Vajrap?ni
=
Guhyak?dipati;
familiarity
ith
Hercules
in
Gandh?ra
as
a
protector
of
legitimate kingship
and
so
forth,
cf.
Santoro
1979:
293-302).
However,
in
my
opinion,
all the
arguments
hitherto
put
forward
are
not
only
excessively
Indian-oriented but also
exclusively
preoccupied
with,
if
we
[i]
363
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Fig.
1-
Vajrap?ni
beside the Buddha.
(Formerly
in
Kabul
Museum).
follow Santoro's
expression,
the bel?
licose
and
quasi-martial
character of
Hercules. Needless
to
say,
this
charac?
teristic is
desirable but
not
a
pre?
requisite
for the
creation
of
Vajrap?ni.
In
my
opinion
this
is
indeed
the
approach
thathas
led all
the scholars
in
the
wrong
direction.
In
this short
paper
dedicated
to
the
memory
of the late
Prof. Maurizio
Taddei
I
take
a
com?
pletely
different and
unprecedented
approach
to
avoid the
age-old
mistake
and
give
a
more
plausible
solution
to
this thorny problem.
1.
Types
of
Vajrap?ni
Typologically speaking,
there
are
several
types
of Gandharan
Vajrap?ni,
as
exemplified
by
Gr?nwedel and
Foucher,
such
as
the
Silenus-type, Satyr
type,
Eros-type, Zeus-type, Dionysos?
type,
Pan-type, Hermes-type,
Hercules
type
and
lastly
Alexander the
Great-type
(Gr?nwedel 1901: 88,
fig.
42; Foucher
1918:
figs.
26-32;
Fischer 1983:
68,
figs.
1-2;
Mustamandy
1984:
177,
figs.
1-5;
Tarzi
2000:
167-70,
pis.
3-4).
In
addition
to
these,
there
s
the
Kushan-type
(Fig.
2),
which
is
attested
by
some
Kapishan
reliefs,
where
Vajrap?ni
wears
Kushan dress
(Gaulier,
Jera-Bezard
&
Maillard
1976:
figs.
16,
29).
Furthermore there
are
a
few
examples
of
Mathuran
Vajrap?ni
(Klimburg-Salter
1995:
pi.
71)
which
might
have been
influenced
by
theGandharan
one
(Flood
1989:
18).
Although
there
re
various
types
of
Vajrap?ni,
the
most
typical
and
fundamental
physical
characteristics
of
this
acolyte
derived from those of Hercules
whose
images
had been introduced
into
Bactria
and Gandh?ra
starting
with the
invasions
of Alexander the
Great
and the
Greco-Bactrians. This is amply attested by the tetradrachms of Alexander theGreat
(beardlessHercules)
and
also the
ones
(Figs.
3-4)
issued
by Euthydemos
I
(bearded
Hercules
seated),
Euthydemos
II
(beardless
Hercules
standing)
and
Demetrios
I
(beardless
Hercules
standing)
later
followed
by
the
Indo-Scythians
(Maues,
Azes)
and theKushans
(Kujula-Kadphises,
uviska)
(Gardner
1886:
pis.
I
II,
XVI
5,
XIX
11,
XXI
9, 11-12,
XXV
1-4,
XXVII
15;
Rosenfield
1967:
77-78,
pis.
IV
73,
V
92;
Mitchiner 1979:
254-55;
Bopearachchi
1991:
pis.
2-5).
It
is
a
known fact that
ome
of
the
Gandharan
Vajrap?ni
images
wear
a
beard while others
are
beardless. The
364
[2]
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Fig.
2
-
Vajrap?ni
beside
theBuddha
in
nirvana.
(Formerly
n
Kabul
Museum).
Fig.
Fig.
1.3
;.4
-
Bearded Hercules
seated,
rev.
of
Euthydemos
Fs
tetradrachm.
-
Beardless Hercules
standing,
rev.
of
Demetrios
Fs
tetradrachm.
(Private
collection).
(Private
collection).
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Fig.
5
-
The
Nativity
of the
Buddha,
Peshawar
Museum.
(After
arshall
1960:
fig.
7).
existence
of these
two
types
of
Vajrap?ni
images surely correspond
with the
two
types
of Hercules of the Greco-Bactrians.
Therefore,
there
is
no
doubt that the
image
of
Hercules/Vajrap?ni
is
a
new
creation
properly
attributed
to
the Gandharan
Buddhist
art,
also
independently
of
ancient
Indian
art
and the
pre-Kushan
Buddhist
literary
sources,
as
Senart
(1905:
316)
correctly
remarked.
The
most
typical
ttribute f theGandharan and
Mathuran
images
of
Vajrap?ni
is,
apart
from the
lion-skin,
the
so-called
vajra,
which
might
be
equated
with the
thunderbolt eld
by
Zeus,
the
original thunder-god
Czuma
1985:
pi.
15;
Bussagli
1996:
251-72;
Santoro 1991:
272-73).
However,
this
weapon
must
have first
belonged
to
Indra,
the
most
powerful
warrior
in
Vedic
times
(Fig.
5),
who
is
considered as a thunder-god and rain-bringer (Vrtrahan) (Konow 1930: 312-15;
Benveniste
&
Renou
1934:
128;
Renou
&
Filliozat 1947:
319, 492;
Zwalf
1996:
143
46,
pi.
136
depicting
ibi-]?taka).
Although
the
vajra itself,
ogether
ith
its
unique
shape,
might
have
originated
in
Indian culture
(Stutley
1977:
320),
and
is
held
by
Indra
in
the relief
depicting
the latter
art
of theVisvantara
J?taka,
n
theNorthern
Gateway
of the
Great
St?pa
at
S?nchi and
in
other
episodes
of the Buddha
S?kyamuni
and
?takas
(Marshall
1960,
pi.
4,
fig.
6;
Lamotte
1966:
118),
it
by
no
means
reveals all the
secrets
and riddles of
Vajrap?ni,
who
curiously
accompanies
366
[4]
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only
the
Buddha
S?kyamuni
in
the
Gandharan,
Mathuran
and Central
Asian
Buddhist
arts
(Gaulier,
Jera-Bezar
&
Maillard
1976:
pi.
73),
but
not
in ancient
Indian
Buddhist
art.
Furthermore, however,
in
my
opinion,
it is
partly
to
the
point
that
Vajrap?ni
seems
to
be the
successor
and
secondary
form of
Indra
(Coomaraswamy
1931:
pi.
3,
N?g?rjunakonda;
Lamotte
1966:
120,
159).
As
far
as
the
ancient
Indian schools
of
art
are
concerned,
there
is
no
extant
example
of
Vajrap?ni
(at
Bh?rhut,
S?nchi,
Bodh-gay?
etc.).
In
the Mathuran
art
of
the
Kushan
period
Vajrap?ni
is
rarely epicted
around
the
Buddha,
and
not
at
all
in
pre-Kushan
art
(New
Delhi,
National
Museum,
L.
55.25;
van
Lohuizen-de
Leeuw
1949:
figs.
3,
51;
Czuma 1985:
pis.
12,
15;
Klimburg-Salter
1995:
pi.
71).
Therefore,
these
Mathuran
pieces might
have been
influenced
by
the
Gandharan
art
as
F.B.
Flood
(1989: 18)
correctly
uggests.
he
same
holds
true
of
the
arts
of
South
India,
for
instance,
of those of
Amar?vati
and
N?g?rjunakonda,
because the
origin
of these
arts is posterior to that of Gandh?ra (Lamotte 1965: 138).
Compared
with the
arts
of the Indian
Subcontinent
proper,
it is
only
in
the
Gandharan
Buddhist
art
that
Vajrap?ni
was
amply
exploited
and
exclusively
popular.
Consequently
it
is
enough
for
us
to
confine ourselves
to
the
investigation
into
the
Gandharan
images
of
Vajrap?ni
so
that
we
can
clarify
the
origin
of
Vajrap?ni.
It is
not
necessary
for
us
to
take
into
consideration
the
relation
of
Vajrap?ni
to
Yaksa,
or
Guhyak?dipati
to
Yaksa
Vajrap?ni,
who has
been
regarded
by
many
scholars
as
the
origin
of Gandharan
Vajrap?ni,
because
Vajrap?ni
and
Yaksa
Guhyak?dipati
are
rarely
nvolved
in
the
literary
ife
story
f
the
Buddha
S?kyamuni,
and
ultimately
could
not
inspire
Gandharan
sculptors.
In
my
opinion
the idea
of
connecting
the
origin
of
Vajrap?ni exclusively
ith the
Indian culture is off themark and has led our
predecessors
in the
wrong
direction.
Why
can
I
say
this?
Because
the Gandharan
images
of
Vajrap?ni
reveal that
they
have
no
Indian
or
Yaksa influence
from the
iconographic
viewpoint,
except
for the
Indian
styled
loin-cloth.
As
is
well
known,
Yaksas
(kings
of
Yaksas)
are
often
depicted
like
an
Indian
prince
or
king
in ancient
Indian
art
(P?rkham,
Patna,
Bh?rhut
etc.;
Rowland
1968:
pis.
12(A),
13,
14(B)).
So
their
status
could
be
comparatively high
and
worthy
of the
name
of
demi-god,
prince
or
king.
However,
if
we
look
at
the Yaksa
images represented
in
Gandharan
sculptures,
they
are not
royal
personages
and therefore
their
status
is
lowered
and somewhat
disgraced.
With
their
naked
body they
seem
to
be
ordinary
labourers
or
slaves
(aborigines)
subordinate
to
a god. For instance, in the Great Departure scenes (Fig. 6) they are nothing
more
than humiliated naked
supporters
of the four hooves
of
Kanthaka.
Therefore
it is
apparent
that the
Gandharans
did
not venerate
Yaksas
as
demi?
gods
but
classified
them
as
lower-class subordinate
beings.
According
to
Foucher,
in
Gandh?ra
the Yaksas
were
rather
notorious
for their
blood-thirsty
and
carnivorous
character,
and also for their
wine-drinking
and
consequently they
were
disgraced,
not
to
say
despised
(Foucher
1905:
42).
This decline
of social
status
or
the
humiliation
of Yaksas
is
quite
natural and
reasonable
in
Gandh?ra because
its
[5]
367
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Fig.
6
-
The
Great
Departure,
Indian
Museum.
(After
limburg-Salter
1996:
pi.
161).
geographical
situation
and
environmental
surroundings
are
quite
different from
those of India
proper.
In
Gandh?ra there
are
only
a
few dense forests where
Yaksas
were
believed
to
live
but
it is
instead surrounded
by
arid and barren
mountains
unsuitable
as
an
environment
for such
beings.
Secondly,
as
said
before,
there
is
no
extant
example
of
a
Gandharan
Vajrap?ni
image
represented
as an
Indian
royal
prince.
All
the
extant
ones
are
depicted
in
the
guise
of
Greek
gods,
demi-gods
and heroes.
On
the other
hand,
Yaksas
are
depicted
as being like ferocious savages undeserving of any kind of veneration (Foucher 1905:
fig.
52;
1918:
fig.
23).
These facts
rove
thatthe
origin
of
Vajrap?ni
and his
image,
despite
the Indian
appellation,
has
nothing
to
do with
the Indian Yaksa cult and
culture.
Probably,
the
figural
image
of
Vajrap?ni
was
first invented
by
Gandharan
sculptors
nd
was
later
adopted by
theBuddhist
Samgha
and
incorporated
nto
the
literature
ontaining
the life
story
f theBuddha
S?kyamuni.
Many
scholars have
hitherto
believed that
Vajrap?ni
first
appeared
in
theBuddhist literature nd after
that
its
images
were
created
by
Gandharan and
Mathuran
sculptors
who referred
to
368
[6]
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the
description
of
Vajrap?ni
in
the
Buddhist
literary
sources.
However,
this
assumption
is
not
based
on
any
concrete
literary
evidence and
therefore
their
viewpoint
should be
rejected.
On
the other
hand,
there
is
no
iconographic
connection between
Vajrap?ni
and
the Iranian
or
Kushan
war
god Verethragna
=
Ushlagno,
although
a
few
Kapishan
Vajrap?ni images
wear
Kushan
dress
(Fig.
2)
being
devoid
of
a
falcon
depicted
on
the head
of
Ushlagno
(Rosenfield
1967:
pi.
IX
167, 168;
Gobi
1984:
pi.
170
Orlagno
1).
As
for the
relationship
between
Hercules
and
Ushlagno,
Hercules
is
identified ather
ith Oesho
as
the earliest
gold
issue
of Kaniska
I
suggests
(Cribb
1997:
36,
fig.
Gl;
Takeuchi
1998:
figs.
3a-4b),
although
Hercules
seems to
be
identified ith
Oshlagno
in
one
unique
type
f
Huviska
gold
coin
(Rosenfied
1967:
77-78,
pi.
IV
73;
Gobi
1984:
pi.
20.269).
In
any
case,
neither
Verethragna
nor
Ushlagno
can
be
considered
as
inspirational
models for the
image
of
Vajrap?ni
because the Kapishan Vajrap?nis are rather exceptional and display a regional
variation,
in
addition
to
the fact
that
they
do
not
belong
to
the earliest
period
of
Gandharan
sculpture.
Another old
view
proposed
by
Spooner
and
partly accepted
by
Oldenburg,
that
is
to
say,
the
Avestan
frawasi
theory
of
Vajrap?ni,
should
be
discarded
as
well
as
Senart's
and
Bussagli's
personification
of
the
magical
power
of
vajra
and the
Buddha
(Senart
1905:
130;
Spooner
1916;
Oldenburg
1917:
131;
Bussagli
1996:387-88,251).
From
the
foregoing
it is
clear
and reasonable
that
the
right
way
to
search for the
origin
of
Vajrap?ni
should
be
confined
to
theGreek
mythology
with
many
gods,
demi-gods
and
heroes,
but
not
Yaksas.
2.
Vajrap?ni
in the
Life-story
f
the
Buddha
^?kyamuni
In
Gandharan
narrative
stone
reliefs
Vajrap?ni
does
not
accompany
the
Buddha
3?kyamuni
before
His Renunciation
and Great
Departure
from
Kapilavastu
(Foucher
1918:
48).
This fact
is
very
important
for
our
investigation.
In
the
relevant
reliefs
depicting
such
episodes
as
the
Descent from the
Tusita
Heaven,
the
Nativity
(Fig.
5),
the
Return
to
Kapilavastu,
the School
days,
the
Presentation of Yasodhar?
to
the
prince
Siddh?rtha and
so
forth,
which occurred
before the
Great
Renunciation
and
Departure (Fig.
6),
we
rarely
see
Vajrap?ni
accompanying
the
prince Siddh?rtha,except forone extant reliefthat is said to depictVajrap?ni in
thePresentation of Yasodhar?
to
the
prince
Siddh?rtha
(Lamotte
1965:
137).
As
this
piece,
excavated from Butkara
I
by
the Italian
Mission,
was
probably produced
comparatively
late
in
Gandh?ra,
we can
exclude
it
from
our
discussion
(Faccenna
1962:
46,
pi.
CLXII; however,
the
present
author
could
not
recognize Vajrap?ni
in
the
left
corner
of
the relevant
relief).
In
the
Nativity
scene
(Fig.
5)
it is
not
Vajrap?ni
but
Indra
that
is
depicted
holding
a
vajra
(Marshall
1960:
pis.
34-35),
although
in
this relief
Indra's role
is
not to
guard
nor
to
protect
the
infant
[7]
369
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Siddh?rthabut
is
temporarily
resent
in
order
to
glorify
im.
In
my
opinion,
this
s
also
a
quite important
fact for
clarifying
the
origin
of
Vajrap?ni
and
his
image
as
is
stated
below.
After the
Great
Departure,
in
the
scenes
of
the
Exchange
of
Clothes,
the
First
Sermon,
the
Visit of
Indra,
and
so
forth,
until
the
Mah?parinirv?na
the
Buddha
S?kyamuni
is,
in
most
cases,
accompanied
by
Vajrap?ni although
his
accompaniment
is
rarely
mentioned
in
the
literary
life-story
of
the Buddha
S?kyamuni.
Needless
to
say,
the
subjugation
episode
of the
Dragon
(N?gar?ja)
in
Swat
mentions
the
accompaniment
of
Vajrap?ni,
but this
episode
is
surely
a
later
invention
when
the
Buddha
images already
existed
and His
life
story
in
stone
was
popular
(Lamotte
1966:
132-36).
Therefore,
this
kind of
episode
does
not
prove
the
priority
of
Vajrap?ni
in
the
Buddhist
literary
sources.
Generally
speaking,
the total
absence
of
Vajrap?ni
in
the
pre-Renunciation
life of
the Siddh?rtha in stone talliesperfectly ith that inHis literary ife-story.n the
Lalitavistaray
the
Mah?vastu,
the
Vinaya
of
the
M?lasarv?stiv?dins,
the
Buddhacarita
and
so
forth
we
have
not,
as a
rule,
recognized
the
participation
of
Vajrap?ni
in
the
episodes
of the
prince
Siddh?rtha
except
for
the
Great
Departure
narrated
in
the
Lalitavistaray
Chapt.
XV:
Les
dieux
de la
terre et
de
l'atmosphere,
ainsi
que
les
Gardiens
du
monde,
Sakra le
maitre
des dieux
avec
sa
suit
[...]
Et
le
maitre
magnanime
des
Guhyakas,
lui
aussi,
portant
un
foudre
br?lant,
se
tient
dans
Pair,
le
corps
revetu
d'une
cuirasse,
doue
de
force,
[...]
tenat
avec
la
main
foudre
etincelant.
(Foucaux
1884:
193;
Lamotte
1965:
121).
In thisdescription, the existence ofYaksa Guhyak?dipati holding a vajra is
clearly
mentioned and this
might
be,
at
first
sight,
satisfactory
evidence
confirming
that
Vajrap?ni
appeared
in
the Buddhist
literary
sources
earlier
than
in
the Gandharan
narrative
reliefs.
However,
he
is
said
to
wear
a
suit
of
armour.
None
of
the Gandharan and
Mathuran
images
of
Vajrap?ni
wear
any
armour
(Gr?nwedel
1901:
88,
fig.
42).
Therefore,
this
description
is
definitely
much
later
and
must
be
a
later
interpolation.
It is
therefore
not
to
be taken
into
consideration,
because
Vajrap?ni
is
not
mentioned
in
the
Great
Departure
of the
two
Chinese
versions
of the
Lalitavistaray
the
Puyao jing
(translated
in
308)
and
the
Fangguang
da
zhuangyan
ing
(translated
n
683) (Tais?
Tripitakay
ol. 3:
504
506, 572-76). The
same
holds
true
for the relevant passages of the Vinaya of the
M?lasarv?stiv?dins
and its
Chinese
version,
the
Genben shuo
yiqie
youbu
pinaiye
po
sengshi
translated
n
the
late
7th
or
early
8th
century
.D.)
(Gnoli
1977:
88-89;
Tais?
Tripitaka,
Vol.
24:
116-17).
In
order
to
further
corroborate
my
interpretation,
I
will take
into
account
the
case
of
Kuvera/Vaisravana
in
the
Great
Departure.
In
the
relevant
passage
of the
Vinaya
of the
M?lasarv?stiv?dins,
those who
guide
the
prince
Siddh?rtha
and
Kanthaka
are
Kuvera,
Indra
and Brahm?
(m?rgam
svayam
darsayate
kuberah
sakras
370
[8]
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Fig.
7
-
The Great
Departure,
National
Museum of Pakistan.
(After
HK
1998:
pi.
87).
tath?
brahmasahiya
eva,
Gnoli
1977:
89;
Tanabe
1993/94:
169;
2000:
1089).
The
same
three
deities
are
also mentioned
in
the Chinese
version
(Genben
shuo
yiqie
youbu
pinaiye
po
sengshi)
(Tais?
Tripitaka,
Vol. 24:
117a).
These
threedeities
are
depicted
in
a
Great
Departure
relief
(Fig.
7)
housed
in
theNational
Museum of
Pakistan
in
Karachi
(No.
N.M.P.
1982).
In
this relief
uvera
holding
a
bow
in
his
left
and and
showing
the
way
with his
right,
s
depicted
in
front f
Kanthaka,
while
Brahma
without
a
turban
and
Indra
wearing
a
turban
are
depicted
on
the
left
extremity.
lthough
Indra is
depicted,
he
is
not
the
guide
or
protector
of
prince
Siddh?rtha
but
is
simply
enerating
nd
praising
the
prince
who
is
about
to
leave
the
secular
life.
n
theother
hand,
in
the
alitavistara,
hapt.
XV
the
name
of the
guide
is
Vaisravana,
not
Kuvera,
although
Indra,
together
with
Brahma,
ismentioned as
having opened
the
Gate
of
Kapilavastu
(Foucaux
1884:
194).
In
its
Chinese
version
(Puyao ing),
Vaisravana and Indra
are
said
to
have
guided
Siddh?rtha
(Tais?
Tripitaka,
Vol. 3:
507b).
Therefore,
as
in
the
case
of
Kuvera/Vaisravana,
the
literary
description
corresponds
to
the
sculptural
representation.
Conversely,
there
is
no
such
correspondence
in
the
case
of
Vajrap?ni.
Consequently,
it is
clear that
the
guard
and
guide
named
as
Vajrap?ni
did
not
exist
originally
ither
n
the
literary
or
the
figural
Great
Departures.
It
is
not
Vajrap?ni
but Indra that
is
actually
involved
in
the
Great
Departure
as
another,
secondary guide
and
guard
of Siddh?rtha
as
is
clear
from
the
descriptions
in
the
Vinaya
of theM?lasarv?stiv?dins
and the
Puyao fing.
However, Indra is not depicted as the guide
or
protector of the prince in the
relevant
relief
Fig.
7).
This
difference
etween
the
literary
radition
nd the
figural
representation
is
quite
interesting.
In
my
opinion,
it is
in
this
dichotomy
that the
secret
of
Vajrap?ni
is
hidden.
The
most
crucial
problem,
then,
is
the fact that
Gandharan
sculptors
intentionally eplaced
Indra
by
Hercules
in
another
relief f
the
Great
Departure
(Fig.
6).
In
the above
arguments,
we
must
take
into
account
both
Hermes and
Hercules,
who
correspond
exactly
to
Kuvera
(Vaisravana)
and Indra
(Vajrap?ni).
371
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3.
The Role
of
Hercules
and
His
Guest
and
Companion,
Hermes
Hercules
is
a
famous
wanderer
who
traveled all
over
the world
in
search of the
Apple
of
Hesperides
(Immortality)
and
consequently
came to be
regarded
as savior
and
averter
of evil
{Harper
s
Dictionary
of
Classical
Literature
and
Antiquities,
1965:
791-93).
In
this
sense
he
is
the
most
appropriate
Greek
hero-god
to
be
employed
as
the
guide
and
guard
of
S?kyamuni,
who also traveled
over
the
Jambudvipa
to
preach
his
Law.
Especially
if
several
Greek
myths
that
Hercules
exterminated ferocious
animals
or
monsters
such
as
the
Nemean
Lion,
Hydra,
Wild
Boar,
Cerberos
and
so
forth
symbolize
Hercules'
role of
eliminating
evils and
dangers
from
highways,
Hercules
might
have been
regarded
by
theGandharan
Buddhists
as
the
most
suitable
acolyte
f the
Buddha
S?kyamuni.
Conversely,
Yaksa
is
not
a
traveler,
and
therefore
is
not
suitable for
being
a
guide.Hercules isalso a chthonicdeityvisiting heUnderworld ofHades and taking
away Cerberos,
or
bringing
back
Alkestis,
the
self-sacrificing
wife of the
egoistic
king
Admetos
from
the
Underworld
(Andreae
1963:
40-45,
fig.
3;
LIMC,
Vol.
I:
536-39,
Vol.
V:
Alkestis
16-48).
Chthonic Hercules
is
depicted
in
the
Roman
sarcophagae
in
theMuseo
Nuovo
Capitolino
and
Museo Torlonia
in Rome
(Haarlov
1977:
figs.
5,
42).
In
the Velletri
sarcophagus
chthonic Hercules
is
represented together
with
Hermes
psychopompos
(as
forHercules' chthonic
character,
Bayet
1921/22:
263-64;
1923).
Hermes is
regarded
as a
guest
of
Hercules and
is
often likened
to
Hercules
(Zanker
1965:
16-18;
LIMC,
Vol.
V:
166-67;
Vol.
IV:
758,
no.
591, 773,
nos.
926a,
b).
Hermes
is
a
helper
and
companion
of Hercules
(von
Schroeder
1914:
12).
In
figural
art, Hercules is sometimes
depicted together
with Hermes as in a fifth
century
Greek
plate
painting (Brygos-painter)
and
on
several
Etruscan
mirrors
(Bayet
1926:
54,
164,
179,
pi.
Vila;
Neumann
1965:
15,
fig.
4,
British
Museum).
Hermes
was
quite
often venerated with
Hercules,
as
both
were
protectors
of
youth,
'the first
presiding
over
eloquence
and the second
over
physical strength'
(Carabatea
1997:140).
In
the Velletri
sarcophagus (Fig.
8)
Hercules
wearing
a
lion-skin and
holding
a
club
is
leading
a woman
(Alkestis)
out
of the
half-open
door ofHades
while
Hermes is
taking
a
man
out
of
the
half-open
door
(Haarlov
1977:
26,
ills.
22-23;
LIMC,
Vol.
V:
403,
Alkestis
21).
In
theRoman
tomb
painting
(Fig.
9)
of
Nasonii
Hercules and Hermes
are
depicted together
leaving
the
Underworld
of Hades
taking
multi-headed Cerberos
(Reinach 1922, fig. 189.7;
Andreae
1963:
102, 124,pi. 57).
On
the
reverse
of
an
orichalcum
sestertius
of
Tiberius
(A.D.
35-37)
the
Temple
of
Concord
is
represented
at
the base of the
Capitoline
Hill,
and
at
the
front
entrance
of
this
temple
both
Hermes
and Hercules
appear
as
if
they
formed
a
pair
(Vermeule
1957:
284,
pi.
15,6).
As is
clear from
these
examples
Hercules is
also
psychopompos
as
well
as
Hermes.
Sometimes
Hercules
is
depicted
on
behalf
of Hermes
in
Roman
art
(Andreae
1963:
41,
fig.
3).
In
another
Roman
sarcophagus
from the
Augustan period
372
[10]
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^^^^^^^ ^^^^^
^^j^^
jj^^
^^^^^^
Fig.
8
-
Chthonic
Hercules
guiding
lkestis,
he elletri
sarcophagus.
After
ndreae
1963:
pi.
8).
Fig.
9
-
Hercules and
Hermes
in
the ades'
Underground.
(After
einach
1922:
fig.
189.7).
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both Hercules and
Hermes
escort
the souls
of the dead
family traveling
on a
boat
to
theOther World
(Erysium)
(Andreae
1963:
63,
pi.
35.1).
According
to
H.
Wagenvoort,
Hermes
was
considered the
guide
(\|A)X07t0Li7i?c,)
f the souls
on
their
journey
to
the
Underworld,
Hercules had
previously
been
regarded
as
the
right guide
(rryeiiov)
to
the
paradise
in
the far
West
(Isle
of the
Blessed,
Isle of the
Erythreia,
theGarden of
Hesperides,
Pillars
ofHercules
etc.),
in
the
same
way
as
he
was
held
to
be the
guide
of
those
emigrating
to
other
countries.
It is
therefore
quite
natural that
'Hermes and
Hercules often
appear
in
combination
in
cult and
are
frequently depicted
together' (Wagenvoort
1971:
115).
The association of
Hercules
with
Hermes is
also observed
in
gymnasiums,
hippodromes
and
so
forth
(Jourdain-Annequin
1989:
360-61,
369-70).
Wagenvoort
further
mentions
that both
were
Gods of theRoad
(Wegg?tter)
the function
of
which
is
certainly
the
most
important
factor for
the
origin
of
Vajrap?ni,
and
his
conclusion
seems
to
be corroborated
by
many
names
of
cities
such
as
Heraclea
in
Greece
and Asia
Minor
(Wagenvoort
1971:
119).
In
any
case,
Hercules
was
venerated
as an
assistant
and
protector
of human
beings
and
also
a
divine
and
apotropaic
escort
of the
dead.
4. Hermes/Vaisravana
in
Gandhara
The
psychopomos
function of Hercules
might
be better
understood
if
we
juxtapose
Hercules with Hermes in the Gandharan art. As for the latter I have
already
demonstrated that his
image
was
employed
as
the
model of
Vaisravana
guiding
the
prince
Siddh?rtha
when he
departs
from
Kapilavastu
at
midnight,
in
addition
to
his
leading
role
in
the
scene
of the
Donation
of the
Four
Bowls
by
the
Guardians of the World
(Four
Lokap?las,
Tanabe
1993/94).
This acculturation
might
have been
partly
influenced
by
the Kushan
god
of
wealth,
Pharro,
whose
image
was
also modeled after that of
Hermes with
a
pair
of
wings.
In
the
case
of
Vaisravana,
his
prototype
existed
in
the
Buddhist literature
as
Kuvera
or
Kubera,
the
northern
guardian
of the
Four
Quarters
of
theWorld.
Kuvera is
the
king
of Yaksas
and had been
represented y
an
Indian
princelyfigure
efore
theKushan
period
(at
Bharhut)
and
its
iconography
was
followed
by
Gandharan
sculptors
at
first but
was
later
replaced by
that
of
Hermes
=
Pharro
=
Vaisravana
(Tanabe
1993/94).
However,
in
the
case
of
Hercules,
whom
most
scholars
equated
with Yaksa
(Vajrap?ni),
the
same
cannot
hold
true.
There
is
no
reliable
pre-Kushan literary
evidence that
aksa
Vajrap?ni accompanies
the
Buddha
??kyamuni
during
his
long
journey.
As
already
stated,
Yaksa
is
not
qualified
to
be the
right
guide
and
escort
of
travelers.
As
regards
the Buddha
S?kyamuni's
travel
accompanied
by
Vajrap?ni
in
the North-West
Frontier
Province,
especially
in
Swat,
to
subjugate
the
malicious
374
[12]
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dragon {n?gar?ja)
recorded
by
Fa-xian,
Song
Yun
and
Xuanzang
must
have been
added
to
the
life-story
f
the
Buddha
S?kyamuni
fter
heBuddha
image
was
already
created
in
the
early
Kushan
period
(Lamotte
1966:
132-36).
Therefore,
other
instances
of
Vajrap?ni's
intervention
in
the
episode
of
the
Buddha
S?kyamuni
cannot
be
taken
at
their
face
value,
but should rather
be
regarded
as a
later addition
or
interpolation
as
the Buddha
and
Bodhisattva
images
were
already
popular
and
prevalent
in
Gandh?ra.
In
order
to
corroborate
my
hypothesis
I
shall take the
famous relief
of the
Great
Departure
(Fig.
6)
in
the
possession
of the
Indian
Museum,
Calcutta
(Foucher
1905:
358,
fig.
182;
Marshall 1960:
pi.
84;
Himburg-Salter
1995:
pi.
161)
and
the
one
depicting
the
Nativity (Fig.
5)
in
thePeshawar
Museum
(Marshall
1960:
pis.
34-36).
In
the former
both
Vajrap?ni
and
Kuvera
are
represented.
In
this
case
the
guide
of
prince
Siddh?rtha
is
not
Vaisravana
but
Kuvera
wearing
Indian
princely
dress and
holding a bow and an arrow (broken) infront fKanthaka (Tanabe 1993/94;2000.
The
involvement
of
Kuvera is
surely
mentioned
in
the relevant
passage
of
the
Samghabhedavastu
of the
Vinaya
of
the M?lasarv?stiv?dins
and
its
Chinese
version,
and
that
of
Vaisravana
in
chapter
fifteen
of the
Lalitavistara
and
so
forth
(Gnoli
1977:
88-89;
Foucaux 1884:
194).
Therefore,
the
presence
of
Kuvera
or
Vaisravana
is
corroborated
also
by
the
literary
evidence.
However,
the
intervention of
Vajrap?ni
or
other
Yaksa
is
not
attested
by
any
extant
Buddhist
episode
of the
Great
Departure.
However,
to
the
viewer's
right,
Vajrap?ni
is
certainly depicted
above
Chandaka
holding
an
umbrella.
He
is
modeled after
beardless Hercules.
Beardless
Hercules has
a
long
tradition
since
Alexander the
Great and the
Greco-Bactrian
king
Demetrios
(Fig.
4)
in
Central
Asia. Kuvera
is
Yaksa,
and
is
eventually
depicted
wearing
Indian
princely
dress.
Therefore,
if
Vajrap?ni
were
depicted
in this relief he
should
have
been
depicted
in
the
same
way,
because
Vajrap?ni
is
also
Yaksa.
However,
Vajrap?ni
is
not
depicted
that
way
but
as
young
Hercules.
Then,
how
about his
vajra?
It
is
not
the
attribute
of Hercules.
From
where this
vajra
originated?
It is
from
ndra
who
is
depicted
in
the
Nativity
scene
(Fig.
5).
According
to
the
Samghabhedavastu
of the
Vinaya
of
the
M?lasarv?stiv?dins
and
its
Chinese
version
quoted
above, Kuvera,
together
with
Indra
and
Brahma
guides
prince
Siddh?rtha
when
he
departs Kapilavastu.
In
this
relief
(Fig.
6)
Kuvera
holding
a
bow
and
an
arrow
and Brahm?
(adoring
the
prince)
are
depicted
to
the
extremity
of
the
viewer's
left
in
front
of
Kanthaka.
As
for
Indra
he should
be identified
with
Vajrap?ni/Hercules depicted in the upper right corner, for other personages
depicted
in
this
relief
cannot
be
identified
with
Indra.
In
this
case
Indra
is
not
represented
as
Indian
princely figure
as
he
is
in
the
Nativity
scene
(Fig.
5)
but
as
Hercules.
In
other
words,
Indra
who
is
thought
to
be
one
of
the
two
guards
and
guides
of Siddh?rtha
(cf.
above
pp.
8-9)
is
replaced by
beardless Hercules
just
as
Kuvera
would
later
be
replaced
by
Hermes/Vaisravana.
Here is
the
beginning
of
so
called
Vajrap?ni
depicted
as
Hercules.
Therefore,
it
is
clear
that
the
vajra
of
Vajrap?ni
was
inherited from
Indra
as
Indra
in
the
Nativity
scene
(Fig.
5)
and
a
free
[13]
375
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^^^^^Bl
i%?
Fig.
10
-
Vajrap?ni.
(Peshawar
Museum).
Standing
Vajrap?ni
wearing
Indra's
spherical
cap
(Fig.
10)
suggest.
This
might
have been caused
by
the bellicose
and
quasi-martial
character shared
by
both Hercules and Indra
(Hopkins
1915:
123-24;
von
Schroeder 1914:
20
22,
107-109;
Lamotte
1966:
115).
Furthermore,
the thunderbolt of
Zeus,
also
equated
with Indra
might
have
been taken
into
consideration
by
Gandharan
sculptors
in
order
to
exalt
the
position
of
Vajrap?ni.
Needless
to
say,
Yaksas' role
is
not
that of
guide
or
protectorof theprince Siddh?rtha but
just
the
supporter
of
Kanthaka's hoofs.
Concluding
Remarks
From
the above
it is
now
clear that
both
images
of Hercules and
Hermes
were
employed
as
divine
guide
and
escort
of the
prince
Siddh?rtha and the
Buddha
S?kyamuni
in
Gandharan
Buddhist art. In
particular,
the function and role of Hercules
as
reliable
guide
were
regarded
as
more
suitable for attachment
to
the
image
of
S?kyamuni,
who
is
said
to
have traveled
widely
in
India,
including
Swat
in
northern
Pakistan,
than that of
Hermes.
Therefore,
the Buddha
S?kyamuni's
travel associated
Him
with
Hercules,
who
also made
long
journeys
to
the
extreme
West
(cf.
Pillars of Hercules
at
Gibraltar),
at
least
in
the last three
ourneys
f his twelve
great
deeds
(to
the Isle of
Erythreia
where
tricephalic
Geryon
possesses
cattle,
the Garden of the
Hesperides,
and
to
the Underworld of
Hades)
(von
Schroeder 1914:
57-67, 67-83,
85-91;
Daremberg
&
Saglio
1963:
92-99;
Jourdain-Annequin
989:
55, 251-71,
520-66).
In
addition
to
this,
the
psychopompos
function of
Hermes
is
rather
temporary
while that of Hercules is eternal because he is themost typical traveler among the
Greek heroes and
gods.
This difference
between
Hermes
and Hercules
was
fully
understood
by
Gandharan
sculptors
and
eventually
Hercules
was
preferred
and
employed
by
them
n
so
many
episodes
of the
S?kyamuni's
life
story
hile Hermes
was
confined
to
the
Donation
of the
Four
Bowls
by
the
Four
Lokap?las
and the
Great
Departure.
Usually,
in
the last
two
scenes
(Figs.
11-12)
Vajrap?ni
is
not
as a
rule
depicted
because the
role of
guide
and
guard
is
already
indicated
by
the
presence
of Vaisravana
=
Pharro
=
Hermes
(Tanabe
2002:
figs.
1,
6-7).
376
[14]
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Fig.
11
-
The
Donation
of the
Four
Bowls
by
the
Four
Lokap?las.
(Hirayama
Ikuo
Collection).
To
sum
up
my
arguments,
the
adoption
of Hercules'
image
by
Gandharan
sculptors
to
depict
the
escort,
guard
and
guide
of the Buddha
S?kyamuni
has
nothing
to
do
with theYaksa
Vajrap?ni,
Guhyak?dipati
nor
with the
pre-Kushan
Yaksa
Vajrap?ni,
but
was
done
to
replace
Indra
by
Hercules. When Gandharan
sculptors
had
to
depict
the
episodes
of the Buddha
S?kyamuni,
they
took
it
for
granted
that the
personage
like theBuddha
corresponding
to
theCakravartin
king
must
be
escorted
and
guarded by
a
deity
superior
to
Indrawho holds
a
vajra
but
is
not
a
good
traveler
and adventurer
nor a
reliable
deity
to
a
man
in
need. Indra
was
not evaluated so highlyaswe might expect by theBuddhists due tohis personal
defects.
E.
Lamotte
says
as
follows:
Mais
le
Sakra
bouddhique,
devot
transi,
n'a
plus
rien
de l'Indra Vrtrahan des
hymnes vediques.
II
n'est
ni
fort
ni
tres
intelligent
et
ses
imperfections
sont
nombreuses.
II
n'a
pas
elimine le
triple
poison
de
l'amour,
de la haine
et
de la
stupidite,
demeure
sujet
?
la
mort et
?
la
renaissance
et est
entraine
dans le
tourbillon de la
transmigration.
//
est
timide,
sujet
?
la
panique
et
prend
souvent
la
fuite.
(Italics
mine,
Lamotte 1966:
116).
[15]
377
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17/20
Fig.
12
-
The
Great
Departure.
(National
Museum
of
Pakistan).
It
is
apparent
that Indra's three drawbacks underlined above make
him
too
unsuitable
to
be
employed
as
the
proper
guide
and
protector
of travelers.
In
addition
to
these
defects,
it is
also
probable
that theGandharan
Buddhists,
at
least
the
sculptors,
ere
not
satisfied ith
a
Hindu
god
always accompanying
theBuddha
S?kyamuni.
Therefore
they
tried
to
find
a
more
suitable
acolyte
than the unreliable Indra
among
the
Greek
gods
and
heroes,
and
they
came across
both
Hermes
and
Hercules,
and
chose
the latter
as
the best candidate due both
to
his
bellicose,
quasi
martial and
apotropaic
haracter
bsolutely ndispensable
to
the
guard
in
addition
to
his further
reputation
thatHercules
is
the best
traveler and
at
the
same
time
the best
guide
and
protector
of
travelers,
or
to
the
fact
that
Hermes
had
already
been
used
to
depict
another
temporary
escort
of the Buddha
S?kyamuni,
Vaisravana.
378
[16]
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I
maintain
that both Hermes
and Hercules
should
have been
taken
into
consideration
together
when
our
predecessors approached
the
problem
of
Vajrap?ni
in
the
Gandharan Buddhist
art.
The
Hermes
and
Hercules
pair corresponds exactly
to
that of
Kuvera/Vaisravana
and Indra. These
view-points
have
been
completely
excluded
by
all the
researchers
of
the
Gandharan
art
and
also
by
the
Buddhologists.
That
is
the
main
reason
why they
could
not
grasp
the
real
origin
of the
Vajrap?ni
image.
In
conclusion,
in
Gandh?ra the
image
of Hercules
was
adopted
by sculptors
to
replace
that of
Indra,
because Hercules
was
well
known
to
them and
regarded by
them
as
the
most
suitable
guide
and
guard
of the Buddha
S?kyamuni.
Therefore
the
image
of
Vajrap?ni
might
be considered
a
form
of
Indra,
metamorphosed
and exalted
by
the
image
of
Hercules,
but
not
the
secondary
form
of
Indra
at
all
(cf.
Lamotte
1966:
120,
'une
forme
metamorphique
de
3akra\
159,
Torme
secondaire
dTndra').
Gandharan sculptors added a vajra of Indra, qualified as vajrap?ni ever since the
Vedic
times,
to
the
image
of
Hercules
by replacing
the club
by
the
vajra
and created
a new
hybrid
type
of
guard
and
guide.
After
that,
Gandharan Buddhist monks and
laymen
who
saw
the
newly
created and unfamiliar
image
for
the first
time
named
him
Vajrap?ni
simply
ecause he holds
a
vajra.
This
is
the
origin
of
Vajrap?ni
in
Gandh?ra.
Later
on
Gandharan Buddhist monks classified
Vajrap?ni
as
Yaksa and
interpolated
im into
the
life
story
f theBuddha
S?kyamuni.
t is
true
that
some
Gandharan
Vajrap?ni images
are
represented
as
hermits
or
rsi
although holding
a
vajra
but devoid
of
the
physical
appearance
of
Hercules,
or
exceptionally
as a
Kushan
prince
or
donor
(Kapishan
Vajrap?ni, Fig.
2).
This
iconographic peculiarity
might
be
explained
as a
later
physical
feature of
Vajrap?ni
who
was
identified
as
Yaksa,
because once the name of the
perpetual acolyte
of the Buddha
S?kyamuni
was
established
as
holding
a
vajra
in
his
hand,
his
physical
appearance
became
less
important
and
eventually
could
be
represented freely by
any
image
of
a
deity.
In
other
words,
the
image
of
Vajrap?ni
was no
longer
confined
to
the Herculean
type
but could be executed
by
other Greek
deities and others
listed above
(p.
2)
except
for
ndra. The head of
the
Alexander the
Great
type
f
Vajrap?ni
found
at
Hadda
(Tape-Shotor)
seems
to
be
applied
for
Vajrap?ni
in
order
to
enhance
the
status
of
the
latter.
Therefore,
the
adoption
of
the
other Greek
deities and
demi-gods by
Gandharan
sculptors
should be
interpreted
as
reflecting
the
later features of
Gandharan
iconography
of
Vajrap?ni.
In closing, if
someone
asks
me
why theBuddha S?kyamuniis accompanied by
Vajrap?ni,
I
will
affirmatively
nd
succinctly eply
because
in
Gandh?ra
Hercules took the
place
of Indra
Vajrap?ni
and
eventually
the
Indra
Vajrap?ni's
role of
guide
and
protector
of
the
Buddha
S?kyamuni
was
replaced by
Hercules
invictus
and
psychopompos
who
was
well known
as
the
most
reliable
guide
and
protector
of traveler
in
theGreek
world.
[17]
379
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19/20
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