สำนักราชบัณฑิตยสภา

The Journal of the Royal Institute of Thailand Volume II - 2010 Chirapat Prapandvidya 53 scription the salutation is addressed to the Buddha, whereas on the other the salutation is to Śiva (Cœdès 1964: 124-6). Śiva is described here as one whose lotus feet deserved to be worshipped constantly by Brahmā and the other gods. He has one self-nature (ekasvabhāva) . Nevertheless, he has all the forms of existence (akhilabhāvamūrti) . He is of the state of void (śunya) . Still he has several existences (anekabhāva). The inscription also eulogizes King Sūryavarman who is no doubt Sūryavarman I . It seems that during his reign Buddhism and Śaivism co-existed peacefully. In spite of the fact that he followed the Devarāja cult, his favor for Buddhism earned him the posthumous name Nirvāṇapada (Cœdès 1968: 135). Prāsād Phnomrung Inscription (CE 1150) The inscription dates back to CE 1150 and was found at Prāsād Phnomrung, Chalermphrakiat District, Buriram Province, (H.R.H.Princess Mahachakri Sirindhorn 1978 : 139). Śiva is described here as having three eyes which are the sun, the moon and fire. He bears the daughter of Sage Jahnu, that is, Gaṅgā, on his head (1978 : 91, verse 21). Narendrāditya, who appears to be a ruler of a country which has its center at Mahidharapura, an unidentified locality, probably somewhere near Prāsād Phnomrung, is mentioned in the inscription. He is eulogized as identical with Śiva on earth, being one with Viṣṇu and Brahmā (1978:102, verse 32), having Śiva, Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and the moon as part of his body (1978: 109, verse 41) and as being identical with 8 forms (mūrti) which are the elements constituting Śiva (1978: 118, verse 48). It is mentioned in the inscription that he has burst open the Brahmadvāra from his practice of austerity at Prāsād Phnomrung. This may signify that he attained God-hood through the austerity. “The process of Yoga consists in rousing the radiant serpent and lifting it up from the lowest sphere to the heart, where in union with prāṇa or life-breath its universal nature is realized and from it to the top of the skull. It goes out through an opening called brahmarandhra to which corresponding in the cosmic organism the opening formed by the sun on the top of the vault of the sky” (Radhakrishnan 1953: 76). Most probably, the sect of Śaivite practiced at Prāsād Phnomrung was Pāśupata as indicated by the word sthūlādripāśupata used in stanza 65 which means Pāśupata of the great mountain (Phnomrung). Mention of the Pāśupata sect appears in the inscriptions of Īśānavarman at Sombor- Prei Kuk and that of Bhavavarman II at Phnom Prah Vihar, Kampong Chnang (Bhattacharya 1961: 43ff; Subhadradis 2004: 21ff; Cœdès 1937: 3-5). The sect of the Pāśupatas, devotees of Paśupati or Śiva arose a little later than the sect of the Bhāgavatas, worshippers of Vāsudeva, identified with Kṛṣṇa and Viṣṇu, which was active at least a century before Christ (Basham 1982: 331).