After coming out of the bath the Tathagata bethought himself: "Where did the former Tathagata's, the arhat's who attained perfect Wisdom, cause the wheel of the Law to revolve ? " At the place where the former Tathagata's had set the wheel of the Law in motion there appeared a thousand thrones made of seven gems. And when the Tathagata out of respect for the former Tathagata's had paced round three thrones turning the right side, he seated himself on the fourth like a lion without fear, his legs crossed. And the five bhiksu's after paying homage to the Buddha's feet with their heads, sat down in front of him.

At that same moment came from the East, South, West and North, from the zenith and the nadir, everywhere from the ten points of the winds many koti's of Bodhisattva's who had attained the fulfilment of a former vote, they fell at the feet of the Tathagata and besought him to set the wheel of the Law in motion. And whatever other gods there were in this complex of three thousand great thousands of worlds, Qakra or Brahma or the Guardians of the world, or whatever other gods sons, mighty of the mighty, they all fell at the Tathagata's feet bending their heads and besought him to set the wheel of the Law in motion.

In the first watch of the night, the Tathagata kept silence, in the second he held an exhalting discourse. In the last watch of the night he addressed the five of the blessed company in these words.... (410:3; 413:8 ;416: 13).

It is of course useless to quote the first preaching that now follows, any more than what in the second part is addressed specially to Maitreya. Besides among the audience on this relief there is none to be distinguished as Maitreya, so the sculptor evidently intends to depict the preaching to the disciples, the first revelation of the new doctrine of salvation for mankind in this world. The Buddha here sits on his lotus-cushion on a richly-ornamented throne, the high back of which terminates in makara-heads resting on small columns. Above his head hovers an umbrella, the only remnant of the decorations put up in the air by the gods, flags, banners etc. mentioned in a passage of the text we have not quoted as it was for the rest unnoticed by the sculptor. (413: 4). The right hand has been knocked off, but we can see by the left one which rests on his lap, that the pose of the Buddha has no! been dharmacakra-mudra, and this is strange when the text specially mentions the offering of a "dharmacakra" (415: 9 etc.), but in agreement with the Gandhara tradition. 1) The attitude was probably vitarka-mudra. Next to the Buddha's throne, on each side, is a stand, on the left with wreaths and a lotus flower, the right one being quite indistinct.

The audience sits on both sides. On the left in the front are the five bhiksu's, the first one holding a lontar-leaf, and furthest to the left one of the Bodhisattva's and gods, the rest of whom all sit on the right. Some make a sembah, a few carry a flower. On clouds in the air heavenly ones come flying from both sides, partly very much damaged, but the front ones are going to pay their homage with a dish of wreaths. Naturally this relief omits the pair of gazelles or the small wheel that on separate representations in the Indian art as well as at Mendut 1) are thought necessary to indicate that the first preaching at Benares, not any ordinary one, is meant; a distinction not here needed, where this relic! is the last of a whole series and cannot be taken for anything but the first sermon.

"Here endeth cri-Lalitavistara, the sutra of the Mahayana, king of jewels"7). And with this, as regards Barabudur, the life-story of the Master, for it is a remarkable fact, which I shall refer to later on, that nothing more 8) of the Buddha's further life nor the parinirvana appears on the monument.