Dr. R.  Banerjee (Chinese and Central Asian Scholar) Dr. R.  Banerjee

 

Publication - Articles & Books

SOME ASPECTS OF JATAKA PAINTINGS IN INDIAN AND CHINESE (CENTRAL ASIAN) ART

M. C. Joshi & R. Banerjee

 

Syama or Samaka Jataka
Visvantara Jataka
Ruru (Deer) Jataka
Sibi Jataka
References

 

Syama or Samaka Jataka

 

Amongs  the older Jatakas at Ajanta which has parallels outside is the Shyama or Samaka Jataka in the cave No.10, a caitya hall narrating the story of Bodhisattva as Shyama who tirelessly served his blind hermit parents. The Jataka highlited the role of an ideal son dedicated to the service of his aged father and mother setting an inspiring exammple for the common people. The details are as follows:

In one of his previous births, the future Buddha was born as Syama who was a model of filial piety. His old and blind parents lived as hermits in a remote part of the Himalayas. Syama was their sole support. One day when Syama went to a pool to fetch water for his parents he was struck by an arrow of the king of Benares who came there hunting deer in the forest.

Indra was deeply impressed by Syama’s filial piety and restored him to life. In China this story is known as Samaka Jataka which mentions that the king of Kapilavastu (instead of Varanasi according to the Indian tradition) went to the forest. While hunting, he killed near a stream a hermit boy. When the king came to know that he killed the boy. He went to the boy’s parents and told them about what had happened and led them to where Samaka was lying. Samaka’s agony moved the heaven and earth. Out of compassion a god placed an elexir into Samaka’s mouth and the poisonous arrow dropped from his body; not only the boy was resurrected, but the eye-sight of the blind parents was also restored. A few scenes of this Jataka are also found in Cave No.17 at Ajanta. In Cave No.10 (Ajanta) four incidents of Jataka tale are extant: 

  1. the King with his retinue shooting an arrow towards Sama;
  2. The king grievously repentent on his accidental mistake;
  3. Sama’s blind parents wailing upon the wounded body of their son in the hermitage; 
  4. Sama’s resurrection to life.

In Cave No.17 a surviving painting shows Sama carrying his blind parents, and the king carrying the body of Sama, and then Sama preaching to the king (after he was resurrected to life) like a true Bodhisattva.

The story of Syama has also a Brahmanical version in which the hero is Sravana Kumar instead of Syama. The dedicated son, Sravana was accidentally killed by King Dasaratha of Ayodhya on a royal hunt. Unlike the Buddhist version, the boy was not resurrected to life. The blind parents wept loudly and cursed the king.

Xuan Zang who was in India (629-645 aD) mentions in his description of Gandhara a stupa about ten miles from Pushkaravati (Charsada) which was then believed to mark the site of the Syama Jataka, the story has been represented in the art of Sanchi, Gandhara and Ajanta. The Indian (Syama) story had a wide appeal because of the fact that it depicts Syama’s love and adoration for his blind parents, an ideal which is of great social interest. The representation of the story in Sanchi is a beautiful composition depicting the forest scenery. In Gandhara several episodes were on a single frame. The boy with a pitcher on the shoulder indicates that he is going to collect water for his old parents. The figure of the king in his hunting dress is represented twice. On the banks of the pool are shown cattle and deer and beyond them to the right the blind hermit and his wife are seated awaiting the return of their son who has gone to bring water for them. This representation is a mixture of forest scenery and human pathos.

The Chinese have translated "syama" into "shamo", and "Samaka" into "Shang Mo Jia". But the more popular name for "Samaka" or "Syama" is "Shanzi", its first syllable being the transliteration of "Syama", while its second syllable "zi" being no different from the suffix used for Confucius, Mencius,, Laozi and other ancient thinkers. This fact shows that in China’s oral (and also written ) literature, Syama has reached a stature of saints. Also the story of Sama has been elevated to the status of Sutra – there is the popularity of the text entitled Shanzi Jing (literally, the Sutra of Sage Sama). That Chinese tradition gives greater eminence to Syama Jataka than to other Jataka tales was because of the importance of fiilial piety which was a corner-stone of the cardinal norms of the Chinese society. The story of "Shanzi" was a household word in China, having crossed the boundaries of Buddhism. It has become a part of China’s own spiritual tradition.

The depiction of Syama Jataka has appeared in  the Dunhuang caves and the Xinjiang grottoes. In Cave no. 299 of Mogao there in a long horizontal panel decorating the gorgeous ceiling depicting:

  1. the palace of king,
  2. the king's hunt,
  3. the king chasing a deer along a stream,
  4. the king killing Syama by mistake,
  5. Syama being buried,
  6. Syama's blind parents being informed about the tragedy, and
  7. the resurrection of Syama, in comparison, the Xinjiang cave painting is much simpler, showing only the killing of Syama.

This and other portrayals of Syama Jataka at Mogao caves, Dunhuang, are elaborate and vivid. The final scene which shows the blind parents embracing their son's body and wailing in anguish represents poignantly the grief of parting. The tragic tale ends on a happy note with the solution of Buddha's magical power resurrecting Samaka. The painting composition is tightly structured with a clear focus on the theme. People's activities are interwoven with the landscape - hills, trees and the streams - making it a realistic representation.  It has been inferred by scholars in China that the story was intended to convey the idea of loyalty to the authorities in addition to piety to parents. At Ajanta (Cave No. 17) there is a painting of another story of an elephant devoted to his blind parents, almost on the same theme, narrated through matriposaka Jataka.

Top

Previous

First 

Next

Previous 

  

 Next 

[ Resume | Contact Me ]

Publications | Presentations | Lectures | Research Projects ]
[ Education | Experience | Scholarships | Countries visited ]

Resume pageo of  Dr. Priyatosh Banerjee