燃燈仏授記図浮彫ねんとうぶつじゅきずうきぼり

  • ガンダーラ地方
  • 3-5世紀
  • 3-5c
  • 片岩
  • H-69.3
解説(開館1周年記念展)

釈迦菩薩(前世の釈迦)がバラモンの青年修行者メーガであった時,燃燈仏から来世において悟りを開き釈迦仏となるであろうとの授記(予言)を与えられた説話を表現している。燃燈の原語はディーパンカラ(Dipankara)で,定光,錠光などとも漢訳される。この説話は一般に燃燈仏本生と呼ばれるが,本来の本生話(釈迦の前世の物語)には含まれず,むしろ釈迦の生涯の物語である仏伝の冒頭に位置する性格をもっている。

ある日,都に燃燈仏が現れることを知ったメーガは是非燃燈仏に会って花を捧げたいと思い立つ。しかし,町の花はすでに国王によって集められていた。その時,彼は脇に水瓶を抱え7本の蓮華を持つゴーピーという少女に出会う。彼女はなかなか花を譲ってくれないが,メーガは懇願の末に有金すべてを投じてようやく5本の蓮華を得た。国王その他の人々が燃燈仏に散華するが,メーガが捧げた5本の蓮華のみが空中にとどまり燃燈仏の頭光を飾った。更にメーガは,燃燈仏の足が泥水で汚れないように,着ていた衣を地面に広げ,その上に自らの髪を解いて平伏した。燃燈仏はメーガに対し,来世に仏陀となるであろうとの予言を授けた。メーガは喜びのあまり躍昇した。

燃燈仏による釈迦菩薩への授記を記す経典は多数あり,それぞれ物語の内容に多少の違いがあるが,その骨子はほぼ共通している。*1 すなわち,購華,散華,布髪,空中躍昇の4点である。空中躍昇の記述はないものもある。本作品では,向かって右下に購華,左に散華,その下に布髪,更に上方に空中躍昇の諸場面を配している。右上に浮かぶ人物は,手に金剛杵を持っているので,帝釈天と考えられる。

燃燈仏授記本生図の作例には幾つかの形式が見られるが,叙述的性格の強いものと,燃燈仏が他より明らかに大きく表され,その尊像的性格が強められたものとに大別できる。*2 本作品は後者に属する。特にカーブル博物館蔵のショトラク出土の作品(no.64-7-13)に酷似している。本作品の左右相称の構図,正面向きの動きの少ない姿勢,丸い顔,ずんぐりとして均衡を欠く体躯,紐を貼り付けたような形式化した襞の表現などは,アフガニスタンのカーピシー地方のショトラクやパイターヴァーの遺跡から出土する作品の特色である。また仏陀の両肩の火炎も,この地方で好まれた図像である。

1 安田治樹/ガンダーラの燃燈仏授記本生図/仏教藝術157号
2 注1前掲書

Catalogue Entry

This relief depicts a tale about the Buddha in his early life as Megha, a young disciple of Brahmanism, when he was given a prophecy by Dpankara Buddha that he would become Buddha, an enlightened one, in the next world. The original word for 燃燈 is Dpankara, which is also translated as 定光 or 錠光 in Chinese. Although this tale is generally called the Dpankara jataka, it is not included in the original tales of the Buddha's previous lives and is rather characterized as the opening tale in the stories of the Buddha's life as Shakyamuni.

One day, knowing that Dpankara Buddha was coming to the town, Megha was eager to see him and to offer him some flowers. However, he found that all the flowers had already been purchased by the king. Then Megha met a girl called Gopy, holding a water jar under her arm and seven lotus flowers. She was reluctant to give him the flowers, but finally he gave her all the money he had and managed to persuade her to give him five of the flowers. The King and all the people threw flowers toward Dpankara Buddha, but only the five flowers Megha had thrown stopped in the air to decorate Dpankara Buddha's nimbus. In addition, Megha spread his cloth on the ground and then untied his hair and spread it on the cloth, prostrating himself to prevent Dpankara Buddha's feet from getting muddy. Dpankara Buddha then prophesied that Megha would become Buddha in the next world. Megha was raised up with joy.

There are many sutras describing the Dpankara jataka. Some variations are found, but the basic elements are common to most of the versions:*1 purchasing flowers, throwing flowers, spreading hair and being raised up in the air. Some examples do not include throwing flowers. This relief shows the purchasing of flowers on the right at the bottom, throwing flowers on the left, spreading hair at the extreme left, and being raised in the air on the upper left. The figure on the right at the top is thought to be Indra, as he is carrying an adamant in his hand.

Reliefs of the Dpankara jataka were produced in different styles. Some of them have a strong narrative character, while some have a more worshipful character, due to Dpankara Buddha being enlarged.*2 This relief is of the the latter type, and is very similar to the relief (no. 64-7-13) in the Kabul Museum from Shotorak. The characteristics of this work, such as its symmetrical structure, motionless Dpankara Buddha facing forwards, with a round face, an unbalanced stocky body, and a stylized surplice, are the features often seen in Shotorak or Paitava in the Kapis region, Afghanistan.