neck and often provided with several heads. This form has been 

 taken up in Tibet, China • and Japan '. Secondly : common ser- 

 pents, and thirdly : a combination of both, i. e. snakes of which 

 the upper part of the body looks human, snake's heads appeariog 

 sbove their human heads; the lower part of the body entirely 

 snake-like ^. The first mentioned shape is to be seen in Fig. 5 

 (p. 29), a relief representing Nagas worshipping a small stupa 

 on a throne, and in Fig. 103 (p. 103), where a Garuda in the 

 shape of an enormous eagle is flying upwards with a Nagi (Naga 

 woman) in his claws, and biting the long snake which comes 

 out of the woman's neck. A pillar figure of the stupa of Bharhut 

 represents Cakravaka, the Naga king, standing on a rock in the 

 water, with five snake's heads in his neck, while snakes are 

 visible in holes of the rock ". Once, when Nagas appeared before 

 Buddha in order to listen to his words, he ordered Vajrapani to 

 protect them against the attacks of their enemies, the Garudas. 

 An Indian relief shows us these Nagas, the Naga king Elapatra 

 and his consort, standing in the water, with snakes upon 

 their heads, and worshipping Buddha, while in the background 

 Vajrapani is brandishing his sceptre against the expected Garudas. 

 This Vajrapani's main function is, according to Grunwedel, to 

 give rain, and as a raingod he is the protector of the rain giving 

 snake-gods, the Nagas *. 



Foucher's very interesting paper on the Great Miracle of the 

 Buddha at ^''^vasti ^ repeately mentions the Naga kings Nanda 

 and Upananda, represented at the base of the Buddha's lotus 

 seat. At the request of King Prasenajit the Buddha wrought 

 two miracles: walking through the air in different attitudes he 

 alternately ernitted flames and waves from the upper or lower 

 part of his body, and, secondly, he preached the Law after having 

 multiplied himself innumerable times, up to the sky and in all 

 directions. According to the Divt/avadana the Buddha, after having 

 completed the first miracle, conceived a wordly idea, which was 

 immediately executed by the gods. Brahma and Qakra placed 

 themselves at the Buddha's right and left side, and the Naga 



1 Cf. p. 114, Fig. 57, a Japanese picture, after Chinese model, representing Buddha's 

 Nirvana. Among the lamenting creatures, which surround the Master's hody, also Naga 

 kings with snakes above their heads are to be seen. 



2 Cf. Grukwedel, Myth, des Buddhismus in Tibet und der Mongolei, p. 89, Fig. 73. 



3 Grunwedel, Buddh. in Tibet und der Mongolei, p. 15. 



4 L.l,, p. 160. 



5 FoucHEE, Le grand miracle du Buddha a Qravasti, Journal Asiatique, Serie X, 

 Tome XIII, pp. 1—78. 



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