THE RELATIONSHIP กลายเปนเทวดาในความเชื่อทางพุทธศาสนา และ BETWEEN BUDDHISM AND การกําหนดใหโลกบาลดังกลาวเปนหัวหนาของ INDIGENOUS BELIEFS AND เหลาคนธรรพ กุมภัณฑ นาค เพื่อแสดงการยอมรับ PEOPLE AS REFLECTED IN ความเชื่อดั้งเดิมในการนับถือนาค ความเชื่อเรื่อง THE NAMES OF LOKAPĀLAS IN EARLY BUDDHIST วิญญาณบรรพบุรุษ ความเชื่อเกี่ยวกับความตายและ LITERATURE1 การกลับฟนคืนชีพ ความเชื่อดั้งเดิมของชาวอารยัน หรือกลุมชนพื้นเมืองดั้งเดิมที่เปนเผานาค 2 Natchapol Sirisawad Abstract บทคัดยอ The purpose of this article is to analyze aspects of the relationship between บทความนี้มุงศึกษาวิเคราะหความสัมพันธระหวาง Buddhism, indigenous beliefs and พุทธศาสนากับความเชื่อดั้งเดิมและชนพื้นเมือง people through the names of lokapālas ดั้งเดิม ที่สะทอนผานชื่อของโลกบาลในวรรณคดี in early Buddhist literature, and especially the names of the three great พุทธศาสนา โดยเฉพาะอยางยิ่งทาวธตรฐ ทาว kings, Dhataraṭṭha, Virūḷha (or วิรุฬหก และทาววิรูปกข ผลการศึกษาพบวา พุทธ Virūḷhaka), and Virūpakkha. The study revealed that the name of the three ศาสนามีความความพยายามในการรวมความเชื่อ great kings, Dhataraṭṭha, Virūḷha (or ดั้งเดิมหรือชนพื้นเมืองดั้งเดิมซึ่งปรากฏมาแลว Virūḷhaka), and Virūpakkha, may reflect ตั้งแตกอนหรือรวมสมัยกับพุทธกาลใหเขามาอยู traces of earlier or contemporaneous indigenous beliefs and people who had ภายใตพุทธศาสนาดังจะเห็นจากรายนามของ cultural encounters with Buddhism. The โลกบาลที่อาจสะทอนรองรอยของความเชื่อดั้งเดิม indigenous beliefs consist of the nāga และชนพื้นเมืองดั้งเดิมที่ไดเปลี่ยนฐานะให cult, belief in spirits, early practice of urn-burials and belief in the soul or 1 spirit of the dead rising from the grave, ความสัมพันธระหวางพุทธศาสนากับความเชื่อดั้งเดิมและชน primitive beliefs of Aryan people and, พื้นเมืองดั้งเดิมที่สะทอนผานรายนามของโลกบาลในวรรณคดี nāga as a tribe. Buddhism shows an พุทธศาสนายุคตน attempt to incorporate these beliefs and 2 (ณัชพล ศิริสวัสดิ์) Lecturer from the Department people into the Buddhist cosmology by of Eastern Languages (South Asian Languages) elevating some local gods, indigenous Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University and beliefs and tribal people to divine status, Ph.D. Candidate in the Doctoral Program in such as lokapālas, who become Buddhist Studies at the Ludwig-Maximilians- Universität, Germany, E-mail: [email protected] chieftains of the gandhabbas, the Downloaded from Brill.com09/24/2021 06:14:02PM via free access MANUSYA: Journal of Humanities Regular 19.1, 2016 nāgas, and the kumbhaṇḍas, in order 2. The Buddhist Lokapālas: an to show acceptance of earlier or Overview contemporaneous indigenous beliefs and tribes. These findings may help to The “lokapālas” (Guardians of the World) or improve understanding more of the “Mahārājas” (Great Kings) of Buddhist sociology of early Buddhism. mythology are four in number: Dhataraṭṭha (Skt. Dhṛtarāṣṭra), Virūḷha or Virūḷhaka (Skt. Virūḍhaka), Virūpakkha (Skt. 1. Introduction Virūpākṣa), and Kuvera or Vessavaṇa (Skt. Kubera or Vāiśravaṇa). The four kings Scholars disagree about the nature of the feature frequently in the early texts, lokapālas in early Buddhist literature. particularly in the Dīgha-nikāya, but seem According to T.W. Rhys Davids and to recede into the distance in the later William Stede (1921-5: 568-569), the Four canonical literature. They are individually, Great Kings are classified in a smaller, and anthropomorphically, described with autocratic state, a chieftain, prince, ruler, some frequency in several suttas of the usually (collectively) as a group; in Dīgha-nikāya. The Āṭānāṭiya Sutta (D. III, addition, G.P. Malalasekera ([1938], Reprint. pp. 203 f.) and the Mahāsamaya Sutta (D. 2007: 958) states that the assembly between II, pp. 257 f.), for instance, give vivid the Four Regent Devas with their followers accounts of each of them, the former and Sakka in the Sudhammā-sabhā are similar giving a commentary on the four. Both to the assembly of the tribal community, these suttas depict them as non-human especially the Kosala-clan. M.M.J. Marasinghe beings (amanussa), paying homage to the (1974: 71) suggests that the tribal leader is Buddha Gotama. They give the classes of already quite similar to the tribal god. The non-human beings over whom the four norms of conduct required for elevation to hold sway: Dhataraṭṭha, ruler of the east, is celestial status in early tribal societies lord (adhipati) of the gandhabbas; Virūḷha, would naturally have helped in the ruler of the south, where they whom men deification of the tribal leaders themselves. call peta-folk reside, is lord of the The transition from human to divine status kumbhaṇḍas; Virūpakkha, ruler of the would hardly have been difficult or west, is lord of the nāgas and Kuvera, distinct, as in these early tribal stages the whose identity with Vessavaṇa is line of demarcation between tribal leader established in the Āṭānāṭiya Sutta (D. III, and tribal god would not have been very p. 201), is ruler of the north and lord of the distinct. According to various scholars, the yakkhas. The Āṭānāṭiya Sutta, which along names of the Four Great Kings may reflect with the other suttas mentioned, states that indigenous beliefs and social groups in the four Great Kings were devotees of early Buddhism since the names of these Gotama and of the seven Buddhas, also gods, except Kuvera, are not found in has a very curious and interesting passage, Sanskrit literature, but are found in which the four Great Kings are particularly in early Pali and Buddhist described as great yakkhas who are Sanskrit scriptures. protectors of the followers of the Buddha 68 Downloaded from Brill.com09/24/2021 06:14:02PM via free access The Names of Lokapālas in Early Buddhist Literature from fear of the yakkhas. (Bandula the quarters, for each of the divine regents, Jayawardhana,1971: 707) They rule over another supernatural being is invoked as four horizontal direction of the world as the warder or protector of the region. viewed from Meru mount at the center. Their habitation is Cātummahārājikā, the samīcī nāmāsi prācī diktasyāste’ heavenly realm of the Four Great Kings, gniradhipatirasito rakṣitā classified in the world of sense-desire yaścādhipatiryaśca goptā tābhyāṃ (Kāmabhūmi). Consequently, the hosts of namastāu no mṛḍayatāṃ te yaṃ these Great Kings who also dwell in this dviṣmo yaśca no dveṣṭi taṃ vāṃ realm are called cātummahārājikā deva, or jambhe dadhāmi devas of the Cātummahārājika. ojasvinī nāmāsi dakṣiṇā diktasyāsta indró ’dhipatiḥ 3. Traces of Indigenous Beliefs and pṛdākuḥ Social Groups as Reflected in the prācī nāmāsi pratīcī díktasyāste somo ’dhipatiḥ svajo’ Names of Lokapālas: Virūpakkha, vasthāvā nāmāsyudīcī diktasyāste Dhataraṭṭha and Virūḷhaka varuṇo’ dhipatis tiraścirājir adhipatnī nāmāsi bṛhatī diktasyāste J.P. Vogel ([1926], Reprint. 1972: 9) bṛhaspatiradhipatiḥ śvitro surmised that the idea of four or six vaśinī nāmāsīyaṃ diktasyāste yamo’ dragons guarding the corners of the world dhipatiḥ kalmāṣagrīvo rakṣitā is more primitive than that of the yaścādhipatiryaśca goptā tābhyāṃ anthropomorphic lokapālas. Quite possibly namastāu no mṛḍayatām te yaṃ both the system of the guardian-gods and dviṣmo yaśca no dveṣṭi taṃ vāṃ that of the elephants of the quarters (diṅ- jambhe dadhāmi ||1-2|| nāga) are ultimately derived from the notion of the dragons of the sky which Thou art the eastern quarter, must have still been alive in the early the favorable by name; of period when the hymns of the Atharva- thee as such Agni is the veda were composed. This idea can be overlord, the black (snake) applied to concepts of lokapālas in the guardian; the overlord Buddhist literature because not only are and the guardian, to them mighty deities mentioned as lord (adhipati) homage; may they be gentle of the directions, but poisonous serpents to us; him whom we hate are also mentioned as warders or and who hate us I place guardians in the Vedic period as seen in within the jaws of you two. the Black Yajurveda or Tāittirīya Saṃhitā Thou art the southern (TS. 5.5.10.1-2) and Atharva-veda (AV. quarter, the mighty by 3.27.1-6) name; of thee as such Indra is the overlord, the In a hymn of the Black Yajurveda (TS. scorpion the guardian; the 5.5.10.1-2), paying homage to the gods of overlord and the guardian, 69 Downloaded from Brill.com09/24/2021 06:14:02PM via free access MANUSYA: Journal of Humanities Regular 19.1, 2016 to them homage; may they to us; him whom we hate be gentle to us; him whom and who hate us I place we hate and who hate us I within the jaws of you two. place within the jaws of you (A. B. Keith, 1914) two. Thou art the western In this connection we may also quote the quarter, the forward by Atharva-veda hymns (AV. 3.27.1-6), a name; of thee as such Soma charm consigning an enemy to the is the overlord, the viper serpents for punishment, in which likewise the guardian; the overlord the six regions are associated with six and the guardian, to them divine regents and with an equal number homage; may they be gentle of dragons, the names of which are to us; him whom we hate identical with those of Tāittirīya Saṃhitā and who hate us I place within the jaws of you two. prācī dig agnir adhipatir asito Thou art the northern rakṣitādityā iṣavaḥ | quarter, the stable by name; tebhyo namo 'dhipatibhyo namo of thee as such Varuṇa is rakṣitṛbhyo nama iṣubhyo nama overlord, the striped snake ebhyo astu | the guardian; the overlord yo 'smān dveṣṭi yaṃ vayaṃ and the guardian, to them dviṣmas taṃ vo jambhe dadhmaḥ homage; may they be gentle ||1|| to us; him whom we hate dakṣiṇā dig indro 'dhipatis and who hate us I place tiraścirājī