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Sumeru Mountain-The Sacred Mountain
Mount Meru in Thai is called Sumeru which means the Great and Sacred Mountain.
It is considered to be the center of all the physical, metaphysical and spiritual universes. It is
also the abode of Lord Brahma and the Devas.
Puranic legends describe the Sumeru Mountain and it is mentioned innumerable
times in Hindu lore. It’s describes that Sumeru and the wind god Vayu were good friends.
However, the sage Narada approached Vayu and incited him to humble the Mountain. Vayu
blew with full force for one full year, but Garuda shielded Sumeru Mountain with his wings.
After a year, Garuda took respite for some time. Thus the peak of the Mountain was broken
and it fell into the sea and became the island of Lanka.
According to Hindu concept, Sumeru Mountain is the center of the earth or the
universe. Hindu legend described that Shiva created water with his sweat, constructing
the earth using his scurf. He wished to construct an enormous mountain to be the center
of the earth. So he pulled out his hairpin and stabbed it on the center of the earth and it
became the Sumeru Mountain. Later, his necklaces became the seven ranges of mountains
surrounding the Sumeru Mountain. They were called Satta-bhoribhan-giri, where the Devas
lived.
The Matsya Purana and the Bhagavatra Purana along with some other Hindu texts
consistently give the exorbitant dimension of 84,000 Yojanas to Sumeru Mountain which
translates into 672,000 miles or 1.082 million kilometers.
According to Thai Buddhist concept, Sumeru is the center of a mandala-liked
complex of oceans and mountains. The square base of Sumeru is surrounded by a square
moat-liked ocean, which is surrounded by a ring wall of mountains, which is in turn
surrounded by a sea; each diminishing in width and height from the one closer to Sumeru.
Top of Sumeru constitutes the Tavatimsa Heaven and beneath Sumeru mountain is the land
of the Asuras. It is enclosed by a mountain range with three peaks which supports the base
of Mount Sumeru called the Trikuta range. There are seven surrounding mountain-walls
call Satta-bhoribhan-giri. Inner Universe has the mountain called Himalaya which is a long
range of mountain. Every universe has Sun, Moon, Heaven, Asura-Dvipa, Hell and Maha-
Dvipa, such as Jambudvipa, Utarakurudvipa, Pubhavidheha and Amaragodhayan. In the four
directions of universe there are four oceans; Pita-sakara, yellow water, in the north; Bhalika-
sakara, shiny water, in the west; Khera-sakara, white water, in the east; and, Nila-sakara,
green water, in the south.
Sumeru Mountain has six terraced ledges called Chakamavacara Bhumi. The first
terrace constitutes the "heaven" of the Four Great Kings and is divided into four parts,
facing north, south, east and west. Each section is governed by one of the Four Heavenly
Kings, who faces outward toward the quarter of the world that he supervises. This heaven
call Ca-tu-Maha-ra-ji-ka. That is the place of the Four Heavenly Kings, namely Thao Kuwen,
Thao Virunhok, Thao Thatarot and Thao Virupak. Down the slopes of Sumeru resided the
followers of the Four Heavenly Kings, namely nagas, yaksas, gandharvas, and kumbhandas.
Beneath Sumeru, in the seas around it, is the abode of the Asuras who are at war with the
Tavatimsa gods.
40,000 Yojanas is also the height at which the Sun and Moon circle Sumeru in a
clockwise direction. This rotation explains the alteration of day and night; when the Sun
is north of Sumeru, the shadow of the mountain is cast over the continent of Jambudvīpa,
and it is night there; at the same time it is noon in the opposing northern continent of
Utarakuru, dawn in the eastern continent of Pubhavidheha, and dusk in the western
continent of Amaragodhayan. Half a day later, when the Sun has moved to the south, it
is noon in Jambudvipa, dusk in Pubhavidheha, dawn in Amaragodhayan, and midnight in
Utarakuru.
Astadikpalas-Lokapalas
Vedic deities
The earliest known texts about the Gods and goddesses of India are the Vedas. The
oldest of them, the Rig-veda, comprises over 1,000 hymns, each addresses a deity. Many of
these early Vedic gods and goddesses relate to specific aspects of the universe or the
elements. Among the most prominent are Agni, god of fire, Surya, god of the sun, Vayu, god
of the wind, Prithvi, goddess of the earth, and Indra, chief of all the Vedic gods, who has a
highly complex and powerful personality.
Lokapala, the guardian of the world, has different uses depending on whether it is
found in a Hindu or Buddhist context.
In Hinduism, Lokapalas refer to the Guardians of the Directions associated with the
four cardinal directions.
In Buddhism, Lokapalas refer to the Four Heavenly Kings, and to other protector
spirits, whereas the Guardians of the Directions are referred to as the 'Dikpalas'. In the
Buddhist faith, the Four Heavenly Kings are four guardian gods, each of whom watches over
one cardinal direction of the world.
The Guardians of the Directions are the deities who rule the specific directions of
space according to Hinduism and Vajrayana Buddhism, especially Kalacakra. As a group of
eight deities, they are called Astadikpalas, literally meaning guardians of eight directions.
They are often augmented with two extra deities for the ten directions (the two extra
directions being zenith and nadir), when they are known as the Dasa-dikpalas.
For example; Indra1 is the most prominent of all Vedic gods and occupies the most
important position of the guardian of the Eastern quarter. “Airavatta” is the elephant of
Indra. It is white and has four tusks. Indra has a thunderbolt in his hand and has as his
cognizance the third eyes placed horizontally on his forehead.
Visnudharmottara gives an elaborate description of the four-armed Sakra in which
are not only mentioned his third eyes and the four armed, consort Saci seated on his lap.
Amsumadbhedagama describes the image of Indra in more or less identical terms.
The god has two-armed, his hands carrying either sakti and Ankusa or vajra and ankusa. He
has usually two eyes.
Stone relief in the Paharpur basement illustrates a few of the Dikpalas and one
of them shows two-armed Indra standing, facing east, before his mount holding an
object (a citrus) in his left hand, his right hand being in the Varada pose. He has a jeweled
Kiritamukuta on his head with the halo behind it and the horizontally placed third eye on
the forehead.
The Chidambaram Temple: the four armed figure of Indra seating astride on the
back of his elephant has its front hands in the Varada and Abhaya poses, the back ones
carrying the Ankusa and Vajra.
Kubera2: the lord of the Northern Quarter
Amsumadbhedagama describes the god as two-armed. The hand is being in the
Varada and Abhaya poses (a club also being shown in the left hand) having a sheep for his
mount attended by his consort and the two Nidhis, Sankha and Padma.
Suprabheda lays stress on the terrific features of the two-armed god holding a club
in one of his hand.
Silparatna characterizes him as friend of Hara (Siva), riding a chariot drawn by
men, holding a mace in one of his hands, as pot-bellied and long armed, accompanied by
Astanidhis and Guhyakas on all sides.
อ้างอิงแหล่งที่มา:1Banerjea, Jitendra Nath, The Development of Hindu Iconography, India: University of Calcutta, 1956, p.522-524. 2Ibid., p.528-529.
