The tradition is that at the moment of his enlightenment Gautama was taunted by the evil being Māra with being unable to give any proof or sign of his Buddhahood. Thereupon Gautama pointed, not to heaven as a Brāhman might have done, but to the earth beneath his feet, calling it to witness. Then a six-fold earthquake and other miraculous phenomena followed[253].
At this time, too, the evil being Māra sent his enchanting daughters ([p. 34]) to seduce the Buddha. This is shown in the engraving facing [p. 477].
The incident of calling the earth to witness is thus mentioned by Hiouen Thsang:—
In the Vihāra, was found a beautiful figure of Buddha in a sitting position, the right foot uppermost, the left hand resting, the right hand hanging down. He was sitting facing the east, and as dignified in appearance as when alive. The signs and marks of a Buddha were perfectly drawn. The loving expression of his face was like life. Now it happened that a Ṡramaṇa, who was passing the night in the Vihāra, had a dream, in which he saw a Brāhman who said:—
‘I am Maitreya Bodhi-sattva. Fearing that the mind of no artist could conceive the beauty of the sacred features, I myself have come to delineate the figure of Buddha. His right hand hangs down, in token that when he was about to reach Buddhahood the evil Māra came to tempt him, saying, “Who will bear witness for you?” Then Tathāgata dropped his hand and pointed to the ground, saying, “Here is my witness.” On this an earth-spirit leapt forth to bear witness.’ (Beal’s Records, ii. 121, abridged.)
This ‘Witness-attitude’ is also shown in the annexed engraving from a photograph of one of the only statues that remained in the exterior niches of the ancient Buddha-Gayā temple before its restoration.
The two seal-like circles on each side contain the usual ‘Ye dharmā’ formula (see [p. 104] and [p. xxx]. 18).
The third sedent pose or position may be called the ‘Serpent-canopied.’ This is commemorative of the legend that Gautama, when seated in meditation after his attainment of Buddhahood, was sheltered from a violent storm by the expanded hood of the Nāga, or serpent-demon Mućalinda (see [p. 39]), while the coils of the snake were wound round his body, or gathered under him to form a seat. Similarly the ascetic form of Ṡiva is often represented under a serpent-canopy.
Only one example of this has been found at Buddha-Gayā. Such images, however, are common in the south, and their prevalence there is not difficult to account for. Indeed, the connexion of Buddhism with the serpent-worship of southern countries and with the Nāgas of Hindū mythology (see [p. 220] of these Lectures), was one inevitable result of its readiness to graft popular superstitions on its own doctrines[254].
I procured a good specimen of the ‘Serpent-canopied’ Buddha during my stay in Ceylon. It is made of heavy brass, and curiously enough represents Buddha with an aquiline nose. It has the five rays of light before alluded to (see pp. [453], [475]) issuing from the crown of his head. See the frontispiece opposite title-page.