At Silk Ocean is a 1,500-year-old Mahayana Buddhist text that shows the strong influence of Tantric Shaiva ideology. It took place in Central Asia at a time when Buddhism, which arose 2,500 years ago and transcended Vedic ritual practice, began to face pushback from the rise of temples dedicated to Shiva and Vishnu.
While Buddha had promoted monasticism and celibacy, Shiva’s story celebrated sexuality. Vishnu balances the two extreme views.
This pushback can be traced back to the epic Mahabharatacomposed around 100 BC, the first to tell the story of Shiva destroying Daksha. cause (ritual in front of the sacred fire). By 500 CE, the Agni PuranaBuddha was presented as a form of Vishnu – taken to trick demons into giving up the Vedas, to follow the monastic path instead. This enabled Shiva to raise his bow and destroy three cities of flying demons with a single arrow. Thus, Shiva and Buddha appear to have engaged in anti-Vedic activities, for various reasons: Shiva, to be included in the newly emerging Hindu pantheon, and (Vishnu as a deceiver) Buddha, to help the gods defeat the demons. Vedic supremacy is supported by these stories popularized by Brahmins.
Forever in contrast and conflict
Buddha avoided marriage; Shiva was wooed first by Sati, the priest’s daughter, and then by Parvati, the mountain princess. Buddha covered himself with a robe; Shiva wanders naked with matted hair, smeared with ashes. Buddhism arose in Bihar, 2,500 years ago; Shaivism probably arose during the Mauryan period in the pine forests of the Uttarakhand region. We can state this because, accordingly MahabharataDaksha cause took place in Gangadwara, known as modern Haridwar. Also the earliest Shiva temple, built in central India during the Gupta period, a map of the Uttarakhand region, with a roof representing the Himalayas, and a gate flanked by the river goddesses Ganga and Yamuna.
Buddha used to be a prince named Siddhartha. His celibacy was code for avoiding the trappings of pleasure. Shiva is worshiped as Siddheshwar, the ruler of the Siddhas – the divine power possessed by celibacy combined with Tantric practice. The Buddhist way of speaking about restraint. But the worshipers of Shiva, the Tantrikas known as Pashupata, proposed the idea yogi who can wander naked on snowy mountains, who can impregnate barren women, who can bring rain to barren lands, and kill enemies with their eyes. In other words, sexuality becomes about power, not denial.
Buddhist scholars have noted that in ancient times, many people mocked the Buddha’s celibacy and questioned his masculinity. This may have been amplified by the worship of the phallic symbol of Shiva. This leads to the compilation of tales of the Buddha’s marriage and the father of the child, and even his prowess as a lover and the impact he made on women, a trope later found in the story of Krishna.
Among the 32 marks on the Buddha’s body – his long ears, his webbed hands, etc. – is the perfect male genitalia, indicated by a bulge in his robe. This explicitly expresses the anxiety of monks in a world where Tantra describes the world as the result of a mystical sexual union.
Worshiped as Yamāntaka
Under the influence of Tantra, Buddhism changed. A new form of would-be Buddha (Bodhisattva) appeared as Mahakala Bhairava, the guardian of the Buddhist path, who, ironically, was depicted as violent and erotic like Rudra-Shiva. Buddha and Shiva are worshiped as Yamāntaka, slayer of the god of death, liberator from the wheel of rebirth.
‘Destroyer of death’ riding a buffalo | Photo Credit: WikiCommons
Silk Ocean is one of the first texts to show the influence of Tantric sexuality and magic on Buddhism. It tells the story of prostitutes who accused the Buddha of not having genitalia, and thus not being a good enough man for a husband. To counter the accusation, the Buddha presented himself mute. The description below is rather colorful – a vision of elephants and horses and lotus flowers. The prostitutes were humble and became Buddhist nuns.
In another story, a rude courtesan is visited by a handsome man who challenges her to please him. They make love through the day. On the third day, he was satisfied and wanted him to leave, but he was not satisfied and continued until he died. Even in death, the corpse clings to the body, refusing to let go, until it rots. He was forced to pray to Buddha and ask for help. He freed him and he became a Buddha.
Silk Ocean known today through Chinese translation. It may have played an important role in reshaping Chinese politics by challenging the misogyny and patriarchy of the Confucian court with the new Buddhist idea of the king, and enabled the meteoric rise of Lady Wu of the Tang Dynasty, in the 8th century. She was the first and only woman to be declared as the Emperor of China. He also imagined Buddhas and Bodhisattvas as women, acknowledging the role of sexuality in a celibate world.
Devdutt Pattanaik is the author of 50 books on mythology, art and culture.
Published – November 14, 2024 13:42 IST
