Mucilinda (;

Pali Pāli (, IAST: pāl̤i) is a Classical languages of India, classical Middle Indo-Aryan languages, Middle Indo-Aryan language of the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pali Canon, Pāli Can ...

: ''Mucalinda'') is a

nāga In various Asian religious traditions, the Nāgas () are a divine, or semi-divine, race of half-human, half-serpent beings that reside in the netherworld (Patala), and can occasionally take human or part-human form, or are so depicted in art. ...

who protected Śākyamuni Buddha from the elements after his

enlightenment Enlightenment or enlighten may refer to: Age of Enlightenment * Age of Enlightenment, period in Western intellectual history from the late 17th to late 18th century, centered in France but also encompassing (alphabetically by country or culture): ...

. It is said that six weeks after Gautama Buddha began meditating under the Bodhi Tree, the heavens darkened for seven days, and a prodigious rain descended. However, the mighty King of Serpents, Mucilinda, came from beneath the earth and protected with his hood the One who is the source of all protection. When the great storm had cleared, the serpent king assumed his human form, bowed before the Buddha, and returned in joy to his palace.

Development

Mucalinda first appears in the ''Mucalinda Sutta'', where it is described that the naga king protected Buddha from the elements by encircling Buddha's body seven times with his coils and standing with his hood spread over. Generally we find statues and carvings of Muchalinda with seven heads, as discovered at the Ta Prohm-temple in Cambodia, in September 2024. After Buddha finished meditating and the sky cleared, Mucalinda adopted the form of a youth and bowed before him.Jason Johns, Jyotsna Rani Nag, ''Muchalinda Buddha:- An Interdisciplinary approach to Reinterpret the Depiction of the Buddha with Muchalinda Naga'', Journal of Archaeological Studies in India, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2021, pp. 140-157 The first existent artwork depicting Mucalinda comes from a 2nd-century BC

stupa In Buddhism, a stupa (, ) is a domed hemispherical structure containing several types of sacred relics, including images, statues, metals, and '' śarīra''—the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns. It is used as a place of pilgrimage and m ...

Pauni Pauni is a town and a Municipal Council in Bhandara district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Now it has National Highway NH-247. Pauni is also known as Kashi of Vidarbha due to its wide swath of temples. Geography Pauni is located at . It ...

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

, where the naga is portrayed as having five heads and guarding Buddha's empty seat. Contemporaneous artwork from

Sanchi Sanchi Stupa is a Buddhist art, Buddhist complex, famous for its Great Stupa, on a hilltop at Sanchi Town in Raisen District of the States and territories of India, State of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is located, about 23 kilometers from Raisen ...

has him portrayed in zoo-anthropomorphic form and attended by a retinue of nagini.

Mahayana

According to the Lalitavistara Sutra, the Buddha found himself in the domain of Mucilinda five weeks after his enlightenment. Mucilinda, along with nāgas from the four cardinal directions, approached him and coiled around his body seven times to shelter him from the inclement weather. They did so for seven days and seven nights. After the storm had let up, the nāgas returns to their respective domains and Mucilinda paid homage to the Buddha, circumambulating him three times before departing.

Artistic representations

The subject of the Buddha meditating under the protection of Mucalinda is very common in Lao Buddhist art. A particularly striking gigantic modern rendition is present in Bunleua Sulilat's sculpture park

Sala Keoku Sala Keoku (; ; , also spelled as Sala Keo Ku, Sala Keo Koo, Sala Kaew Ku, Sala Kaew Koo, Salakaewkoo, Sala Gaew Goo, Sala Kaeoku, etc.; alternative name: Wat Khaek) is a park featuring giant fantastic concrete sculptures inspired by Buddhism ...

. Art depicting the Buddha with Mucalinda's hood over him might have been influenced by Jain art of Parshvanatha, himself depicted as a man with a cobra-like hood.

References

Buddhist legendary creatures Nāgas Indian legendary creatures {{Buddhist-myth-stub

Development

Mahayana

Artistic representations

See also

References