28 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 8o 



is Kubera, Regent of the North, himself a Yaksa' (and, as Vais- 

 ravana. frequently styled Bhagavat in the Mahdhharata), a Naga,' 

 and the Buddha himself.'' The Pawaya image of the great Yaksa 

 Manibhadra has a dedicatory inscription,^ in which the deity himself 

 is styled Bhagava and the members of the gostha (corporation) for 

 whom the image was set up speak of themselves as Mdnihhadra- 

 bhaktas. N^emesa, too, is called Bhagava (Mathura inscription al- 

 ready cited). Thus, both the designation Bhagavat and the use of the 

 term Bhakti are seen to be common to most, as they probably were 

 to all of the contemporary faiths." 



Apart from these questions of terminology it will be evident that 

 the facts of Yaksa worship correspond almost exactly with those of 

 other Bhakti religions. In fact, the use of images in temples, the prac- 

 tice of prostration, the offering of flowers (the typical gift, constantly 

 mentioned), incense, food, and cloths, the use of bells, the singing of 

 hymns, the presentation of a drama dealing with the Llla of the 

 deity, all these are characteristic of Hindu worship even at the present 

 day." Only the nature of the food is peculiar, and this may be attrib- 

 uted to the relationship of Yaksas with Raksasas ; nor will it be for- 

 gotten that animal sacrifices and the use of strong liquors still per- 

 sists in some Sakta cults. Nothing of this cult type is to be found in 

 the Vedas. 



7. YAKSA SOURCES IN BUDDHIST ICONOGRAPHY 



Yaksas, as we have seen, may be represented by independent cult 

 images, or in connection with other sectarian systems, as attendants. 



* Panini, IV, 3, 97, speaks of Bhakti directed towards Maharajas, not in a 

 political sense, but with reference to the Four Great Kings (see Bhusari 

 in Ann. Bhandarkar Inst., VIII, 1926, p. 199). For Manibhadra as a Lokapala 

 see Vogel, Indian Serpent Lore, p. 10. 



'" The Naga Dadhikarna, in an inscription at Mathura, Liiders' list, No. 85. 

 ^ Already at Bharhut, in the inscription Bhagavato Saka Munino Bodho, and 

 on the Piprahwa vase, Bhagavato sakiyamuni. 



* Garde, M. B.. The site of Padiinidvafh A. S. I., A. R., 1915-16, Gangoly, 

 O. C. in Modern Review, Oct. 1919; Fouchcr, in J. B. O. R. S. ; Chanda, Four 

 ancient Y'aksa statues. Text of the Brahmi inscription: .... gaiisfhya Maui- 

 bhadrabhaktagarbhasukhitah Manibhadrasya pratima. pratisthapayamti 



" For the meaning of Bhaga7)at, " Adorable," " Blessed," " Worshipful," etc., 

 see Grierson, The translation of the term Bhagavat, J. R. A. S., 1910; 

 Schrader, ibid., 191 1, p. 194; Hopkins, Epic use of Bhagavat and bJiakti, ibid., 

 1912; Govindacharya Svainin, ibid., p. 483. 



" For an admirable account of the daily office in a modern temple, see 

 (Burgess, J.), The ritual of Ramcsvarani. Indian Antiquary, XII, 1883. 



