1. The Bodhisattva in the Tusita-heaven

 

The Bodhisattva dwelt in the pleasant abode of the Tusita (heaven), worthy of honor and adored, having received the consecration, lauded, honored, praised and glorified by a hundred thousand gods. When he was seated there beatified, in that great palace which resounded with the music of a hundred thousand million koti's of apsaras (nymphs), while jyotis-, malika- and sumanas-blossoms exhaled their perfume and which was so placed that a hundred thousand million koti's of gods fixed their eyes thereon, there rose up from the sounds of harmony of eightyfour thousand turya's (musical instruments), as a fruit of the accumulation of the Bodhisattva's former good deeds, these inspiring hymns.... "Now is the time come,let it not pass unused"(7:21; 10:19,22; 11:3,7; 13:5)).

 

On the relief we see the Bodhisattva between four apsaras, seated on a throne in a sort of pavilion. That this building bears little resemblance to the description (not given above) of the splendors of the magnificent palace in the Tusita-heaven, is due only to the fact of it being utterly impossible to represent all that grandeur on a relief, where of course the persons must remain of the most importance. As was to be expected, the Bodhisattva is clothed in the ceremonial robes appropiate to gods and princes. Right and left of the Davilion we see in two rows the homage-paying inhabitants of the heaven, among them many apsaras and musicians; to give a distinct heavenly touch to the scene the front persons of the top row are placed upon clouds. The first nymph on the left holds an incense-burner, one of the next a dish with jewels; what the nearest on the right holds is not distinct, the second one seems to have a tiara. Among the music instruments we see, as usual on such occasions, vma, either, flute, cymbals and a great many drums. May be these represent the turya's of the text. Not quite in agreement with the performing apsaras there mentioned, is the fact that all the musicians are men, and therefore gandharva's. Both the persons in front on the clouds, on both sides, are not wearing the usual god's dress but what resembles that of brahmans; so they are recognisable as dwellers of Brahma's heaven.