354 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. [N.S., XIX, 
light of this story, the guy can be explained thus: the 
departing figure, a male or a female, is Sakka in pra 
quickly lng to his sieeve the male figure seated o 
couch is King Okkaka in an attitude suggestive of disbelief in 
what the woman before him is telling him ; this woman is no 
other than his chief Queen Silavati. who holds in her right 
hand a symbol perhaps round-folded heavenly robes or a fan 
of sandal wood, which Sakka had given her and shows it to 
the king who cannot believe that she was brought back to his 
bed-chamber by Sakka: the prominence of the lower part of 
her abdomen symbolises her maternity and the position of her 
hand indicates that she is reassuring the king about this very 
matter 
There is a Sanskrit version of the story of Kusa in the 
Mahavastu,! which differs in many important details from the 
Pali. As the Bharaut sculpture follows an earlier version 
similar to the Pali, the Sanskrit version need not be considered 
ere 
4. Plate XLVII, 7.—The inscription attached to this 
sculpture is read cred rendered differently by General Cunning- 
ham and Dr. Hultz 
C.—‘* Dadani eee chakamo.”’ 
* Punishment of works Region ’’(?): 
‘ that is, the place of Hina or Hell.’ 
H.--‘ padaatkeeun 
“ The enclosure (called) Dandanishkrama.”’ (4)* 
Cunningham describes the scene as follows :— 
‘In this very curious scene an altar or throne occupies 
the middle place, behind which are four lions with gaping 
mouths, and to the right five men standing in front of a sixth, 
who sits on the ground to the left in a contemplative attitude, 
with his head leaning on his left hand. In front are two 
gigantic human heads, with a human hand between — and 
towards the throne or altar a bundle of faggots burn 
conjecture that this scene os eee one of the 16 Buddhist 
hells, or places of punishmen 
I take it that the scene is Sab that of a Buddhist hell but 
that of burning or cremation. The faggots burning represent 
a funeral pyre, while two human heads with hideous looks are 
symbols representing the ogres. Thus the place is a émasana 


r are not necessarily moral ones. For instance, the story of 
Isisimngiya or Risyasringya is depicted only by the ee of the 
first rae relating to bed a th of the anootie from 
avastu, Sénart’s Ed. If, pp. 420 ff. See Rajendralala rit 
oo Buddhist Eitevatnn of Nepal, it pp. 142 ff; also, pp and 
2 The Stipa of Bharhut, p. 130. 
3 1.A. Vol. XXT, p. 227. + The Stapa of Bharhbut, p. 94. 
