作者:王晓辉
印度是一个宗教的国度,也是一个神话的国度,就像林语堂在《印度的智慧》一书中说的,印度人沉醉于神的世界,除了犹太人,世界上没有任何一个民族具有印度人那样强烈的宗教热情(India is a land and a people intoxicated with God.... I doubt there is a nation on earth that equals the Hindus in religious emotional intensity except the Jews. The Wisdom of India P.3)。这样一个历史悠久且热衷于宗教的文明必然会创造出众多的神灵。据说,印度有3亿3千万个神,与人口的比例大约是1比4,也就是说,在印度,差不多每四个人就能分摊到一个神。
印度众神当中,最为中国人所熟悉的,要数神猴哈努曼了。哈努曼和《西游记》里的孙悟空有太多相似的地方,因此,不少学者如胡适和陈寅恪都认为孙悟空的原型就是哈努曼,而鲁迅则认为孙悟空的原型来自《山海经》里的水兽无支祁。真实的历史都存在争议,何况神话传说。不过,我们来了解一下哈努曼的故事倒是非常有意思的。
哈努曼的传说起于何时已不可考,但是在印度最古老的文献《梨俱吠陀》(Rig Veda)中就能找到哈努曼的影子。天神因陀罗(Indra)在与妻子的对话中就提到了一个精力充沛、强壮有力的猴子。《梨俱吠陀》成书于公元前1500年—前1200年,可以推测,在吠陀时代之前,关于神猴的传说就已经开始在民间流传了。史诗《罗摩衍那》(公元前三世纪)中,哈努曼已经是一个移山跨海、叱咤风云的重要角色了。神话传说的源头很难追溯,只能像印度人讲历史那样,用一句long long ago来表达了。
关于哈努曼的身世,传说的版本很多。《罗摩衍那》中关于哈努曼的来历是先从他的母亲Anjana说起的:
Her heavenly title heard no more,
Anjana was the name she bore,
When, cursed by Gods, from heaven she fell
In Vanar form on earth to dwell,
New-born in mortal shape the child
Of Kunjar monarch of the wild.
In youthful beauty wondrous fair,
A crown of flowers about her hair,
In silken robes of richest dye
She roamed the hills that kiss the sky.
Once in her tinted garments dressed
She stood upon the mountain crest,
The God of Wind beside her came,
And breathed upon the lovely dame.
And as he fanned her robe aside
The wondrous beauty that he eyed
In rounded lines of breast and limb
And neck and shoulder ravished him;
And captured by her peerless charms
He strained her in his amorous arms.
哈努曼的母亲本是天女,被神灵诅咒贬到凡间,化身为一个猴女,名叫Anjana。毕竟是天女的底子,来到凡间依旧美丽动人;不仅动人,连风神都被她打动了。一天,Anjana头戴花冠,身穿五彩丝袍,悠游于高山之巅,恰好被经过的风神看见。风神对Anjana一见钟情,当即向她表达爱意:
"O, be not troubled, nor afraid.
But trust, and thou shalt know ere long
My love has done thee, sweet, no wrong.
So strong and brave and wise shall be
The glorious child I give to thee.
Might shall be his that naught can tire,
And limbs to spring as springs his sire."
Thus spoke the God; the conquered dame
Rejoiced in heart nor feared the shame.
Down in a cave beneath the earth
The happy mother gave thee birth.
“不要担忧,不要害怕,你很快就会知道我是多么地爱你。我将给你一个值得夸耀的儿子,他的力量、勇气和智慧无与伦比;他力大无穷,能像他的父亲一样腾跃自如。”
风神的话打动了她,满怀欣喜的Anjana不再羞怯害怕;在地下的洞穴中,Anjana成了快乐的妈妈。
神的儿子一出生就不同凡响:
Once o'er the summit of the wood
Before thine eyes the new sun stood.
Thou sprangest up in haste to seize
What seemed the fruitage of the trees.
Up leapt the child, a wondrous bound,
Three hundred leagues above the ground,
And, though the angered Day-God shot
His fierce beams on him, feared him not.
Then from the hand of Indra came
A red bolt winged with wrath and flame.
The child fell smitten on a rock,
His cheek was shattered by the shock,
Named Hanuman thenceforth by all
In memory of the fearful fall.
有一天,风神的儿子看到初升的太阳挂在树梢上,误以为是树上的果实,便一跃而起,奔着“果子”而去。这一跃就是1500公里(英文原文为three hundred leagues,league,里格,长度单位,约等于3英里)。愤怒的日神发出强烈的光芒,却没有把他吓退。此时,“众神之王”因陀罗(Indra)出手干预,红色的霹雳带着愤怒的火焰击中了他的下颚,把他打落在一块岩石上。从此,风神的儿子就被称为哈努曼,意思是“其颚被击者”。
【配图:彭靖雯】
看到自己的儿子躺在岩石上,双眼紧闭,下颚流血,风神又是心疼又是愤怒:
The wandering Wind-God saw thee lie
With bleeding cheek and drooping eye,
And stirred to anger by thy woe
Forbade each scented breeze to blow.
The breath of all the worlds was stilled,
And the sad Gods with terror filled
Prayed to the Wind, to calm the ire
And soothe the sorrow of the sire.
His fiery wrath no longer glowed,
And Brahma's self the boon bestowed
That in the brunt of battle none
Should slay with steel the Wind-God's son.
Lord Indra, sovereign of the skies,
Bent on thee all his thousand eyes,
And swore that ne'er the bolt which he
Hurls from the heaven should injure thee.
风神一怒之下,停止了风的流动,结果整个世界的呼吸都停了下来。众神惶恐不已,都来求告风神。梵天亲自为哈努曼祝福,赐予他金刚不坏之体,在战斗中刀枪不入。众神之王因陀罗用身上一千只眼睛望着哈努曼发誓,天上的雷电再也不能伤害到他。
哈努曼力大无穷,上天入地,搬山跨海,无所不能。在《罗摩衍那》中,哈努曼受阿逾陀国罗摩王子之托,去寻找他被魔王劫走的妻子悉多。路上,哈努曼遇到了无数艰难险阻,有神灵的考验,也有妖魔的阻拦,但所有的艰险,都没能让他停下脚步。其中有一个情节,与《西游记》中“唐三藏路阻火焰山,孙行者一调芭蕉扇”的故事非常相似。
蛇神Surasa化身为凶恶的妖魔Rakshas,从海中跃出,拦住哈努曼的去路,用令人生畏的声音喝道:
"Come, prince of Vanars, doomed to be
My food this day by heaven's decree.
Such boon from ages long ago
To Brahma's favouring will I owe."
“来吧,猴族的王子,
你今天注定要成为我口中之食。
这是梵天的旨意,
多年前给予我的恩赐。”
哈努曼告诉蛇神,他是去寻找悉多,完成任务之后,就会回来,把自己送到蛇神口中。可是蛇神一定要试试哈努曼的能力和胆量:
"Nay, hope not thus thy life to save;
Not such the boon that Brahma gave.
Enter my mouth," was her reply,
"Then forward on thy journey hie!"
“不行!别指望这样就能救你的命,
梵天没有给过这样的指令。
先到我的嘴里来,
然后再继续你的旅程!”
哈努曼无奈之下,只有同蛇神斗智斗勇。只见他的身躯瞬间变大,足有50公里高,可蛇神变的妖魔张开大嘴,竟有100公里宽。哈努曼身子再拔高,妖魔的嘴就跟着变得更宽。聪明的哈努曼急中生智,施展法力突然变回拇指大小,冷不防跳进妖魔的口中,然后又一个筋斗,翻身跃出。
这时,蛇神变回原型,对哈努曼说:
"Then forward to the task, and may
Success and joy attend thy way!
Go, and the rescued lady bring
In triumph to her lord and king."
“去吧,去完成你的使命,
成功与喜悦会伴你前行!
去吧,救出女主人悉多,
顺利地把她交给君王罗摩。”
此后,哈努曼用同样的方法钻进女妖Sinhika的腹中,在里面翻江倒海,杀死了妖魔,一跃而出。再后来,哈努曼跋山涉水,历尽千辛万苦,终于在魔王罗波那的Lanka城堡中找到了悉多,并帮助罗摩打败了罗波那。因其聪明智慧、勇敢忠诚和坚忍不拔,哈努曼成了最受人喜爱的神话人物。在印度,信奉印度教、锡克教、耆那教的人都相信,信奉崇拜哈努曼能够驱灾辟邪,不受恶魔的侵害。
怎么样?哈努曼的这些本领,是不是很像孙悟空?
除了《罗摩衍那》,印度另一部伟大史诗《摩诃婆罗多》(Mahabharata)中也有哈努曼的故事。不仅如此,哈努曼早已经走出了印度,在南亚、东南亚、中亚、伊朗北部地区、中国西藏和于阗一带都有不同版本的哈努曼故事和哈努曼神庙。在泰国,还有一种传统的民间表演叫Ramlila,类似《罗摩衍那》故事的再创作,但主角变成了哈努曼。
中国和印度两个文明古国,各有一个神猴,中国的孙悟空和印度的哈努曼。无论这两个猴子有没有亲属关系,都可以作为中印文化交流互鉴的样板,因为在他们身上,寄托着人类最为浪漫的想象和最为珍贵的品质,那就是聪明、忠诚和勇敢。
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