In this study, I tried to extract, translate, and analyze the origins and related descriptions of nāga, focusing on the epic Mahābhārata. Originally, nāga, depicted in the form of a snake, was a term used to designate a deity or superhuman tribe in an ...
In this study, I tried to extract, translate, and analyze the origins and related descriptions of nāga, focusing on the epic Mahābhārata. Originally, nāga, depicted in the form of a snake, was a term used to designate a deity or superhuman tribe in ancient Indian myth particularly a cobra with a hood over its head. The early depiction of nāga appears in Ṛgveda as Vṛtra, the enemy of Indra and the snake demon who imprisoned water and livestock. In Vedic literature and later Hindu folklore, it resides in the underworld called Pātālatala. On the other hand, in Buddhist folklore and literature, it plays the role of a guardian protecting the body or relics of the Buddha, sometimes acting as a monk who asks the Buddha for dhamma, and sometimes as a demon subdued by the Buddha with supernatural powers. It appears as a cross between good and evil.
From the Ṛgveda and Mahābhārata, to the Buddhist traditions such as Mahāvastu, the ups and downs of authority are also understood to be intertwined with the religious situation of the time. In this way, the image of nāga has been widely depicted in art forms such as sculpture and architecture in addition to literary works over a long period of time in India. Beyond India, it affects Southeast and Northeast Asia, that is, Tibet and Mongolia, as well as China, Korea, and Japan, and is transformed or accepted in various forms. On the other hand, it is treated as important in relation to Garuḍa in Hindu myth. Garuḍa, described in the form of an eagle-like bird of prey as Vāhana of the god Viṣṇu, is usually considered the nemesis of the nāga. The nāga-garuḍa motif is also interpreted as a symbol of water-fire or earth-sky (sun), respectively. The story of the origin of the antagonistic relationship between nāga and garuḍa is recorded in India's epic poem the Mahābhārata along with the birth story of the nāga.
In particular, this story appears in the first volume Ādi-parvan, which contains numerous creation myths and the histories of saints and kings. Since then, these stories have been continuously used as a material in numerous folk tales, literary works, sculptures, and architecture in India and Southeast Asia.
The research progress consists of the interpretation of the original text of Mahābhārata and the process of analysis based on it.
In the 7-8 months corresponding to the first half of the study, the parvans in which nāga appeared were extracted. In addition, the list of bibliography of the Mahābhārata was organized through the analysis of previous studies, focusing on the comprehensive research of Vogel and Cozad. If necessary, comparative data such as the purāṇa literature were added and secured, and the original source analysis was conducted focusing on Harivaṃśa and Bhāgavata-purāṇa, the representative purāṇa literature of Vaiṣṇava. As the text source of the Mahābhārata, the critical edition of Puna published in the Bhandarkar Oriental Series (BOS), which includes variants of various manuscripts, was selected. Most of the stories related to the origins of the nāga are concentrated in the first volume of the Mahābhārata, the Ādi-parvan (the volume of the beginning). After that, a basic analysis of the Mahābhārata was carried out on the first volume of Ādi-parvan. According to the book, Ādi-parvan is consist of 19 sub-parvans (upa-parvans) and 236 chapters (章, adhyāya). The focus of this study is the fifth sub-parvan, the Āstika-parvan. Āstika-parvan deals with Astika, the savior who prevented the sacrifice of the nāga from the sarpa-sattra of King Janamejaya. This tells a rather extensive story from the story of the origin of the nāga to the salvation of Astika. In order to show the specific excerpt translation process, part of the progress related to the story of Astika's birth among the parvan translations is presented in the attached result report. This was carried out through a bi-weekly reading seminar as specified in the research plan, and the results are currently being prepared as a paper.