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Railing pillar medallion with Mugapakkha-jataka
India, Bharhut Great Stupa, Satna district, Madhya Pradesh
Not on view
This medallion is the earliest known representation of the Mugapakkha-jataka, one of the jataka tales of the Buddha’s past lives. It tells of a prince (the Buddha in disguise) who, in recollection of his compassionless deeds in a past life, takes a vow of silence from birth. Believing him an omen of disaster, his father instructs that he be killed, but the king's charioteer, seen here, recognizes his true nature as a future Buddha. He is spared, and his parents then venerate him, shown at upper right. Closely analogous to the Buddha’s own life story, this powerful tale honors the selfless casting aside of worldly attachments and social position as the first step on the pathway to spiritual awakening
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