作者:王曉輝
印度是一個宗教的國度,也是一個神話的國度,就像林語堂在《印度的智慧》一書中說的,印度人沉醉于神的世界,除了猶太人,世界上沒有任何一個民族具有印度人那樣強烈的宗教熱情(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)。這樣一個歷史悠久且熱衷于宗教的文明必然會創(chuàng)造出眾多的神靈。據說,印度有3億3千萬個神,與人口的比例大約是1比4,也就是說,在印度,差不多每四個人就能分攤到一個神。
印度眾神當中,最為中國人所熟悉的,要數神猴哈努曼了。哈努曼和《西游記》里的孫悟空有太多相似的地方,因此,不少學者如胡適和陳寅恪都認為孫悟空的原型就是哈努曼,而魯迅則認為孫悟空的原型來自《山海經》里的水獸無支祁。真實的歷史都存在爭議,何況神話傳說。不過,我們來了解一下哈努曼的故事倒是非常有意思的。
哈努曼的傳說起于何時已不可考,但是在印度最古老的文獻《梨俱吠陀》(Rig Veda)中就能找到哈努曼的影子。天神因陀羅(Indra)在與妻子的對話中就提到了一個精力充沛、強壯有力的猴子?!独婢惴屯印烦蓵诠?500年—前1200年,可以推測,在吠陀時代之前,關于神猴的傳說就已經開始在民間流傳了。史詩《羅摩衍那》(公元前三世紀)中,哈努曼已經是一個移山跨海、叱咤風云的重要角色了。神話傳說的源頭很難追溯,只能像印度人講歷史那樣,用一句long long ago來表達了。
關于哈努曼的身世,傳說的版本很多?!读_摩衍那》中關于哈努曼的來歷是先從他的母親Anjana說起的:
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.
哈努曼的母親本是天女,被神靈詛咒貶到凡間,化身為一個猴女,名叫Anjana。畢竟是天女的底子,來到凡間依舊美麗動人;不僅動人,連風神都被她打動了。一天,Anjana頭戴花冠,身穿五彩絲袍,悠游于高山之巔,恰好被經過的風神看見。風神對Anjana一見鐘情,當即向她表達愛意:
"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.
“不要擔憂,不要害怕,你很快就會知道我是多么地愛你。我將給你一個值得夸耀的兒子,他的力量、勇氣和智慧無與倫比;他力大無窮,能像他的父親一樣騰躍自如。”
風神的話打動了她,滿懷欣喜的Anjana不再羞怯害怕;在地下的洞穴中,Anjana成了快樂的媽媽。
神的兒子一出生就不同凡響:
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,風神的兒子看到初升的太陽掛在樹梢上,誤以為是樹上的果實,便一躍而起,奔著“果子”而去。這一躍就是1500公里(英文原文為three hundred leagues,league,里格,長度單位,約等于3英里)。憤怒的日神發(fā)出強烈的光芒,卻沒有把他嚇退。此時,“眾神之王”因陀羅(Indra)出手干預,紅色的霹靂帶著憤怒的火焰擊中了他的下顎,把他打落在一塊巖石上。從此,風神的兒子就被稱為哈努曼,意思是“其顎被擊者”。
【配圖:彭靖雯】
看到自己的兒子躺在巖石上,雙眼緊閉,下顎流血,風神又是心疼又是憤怒:
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.
風神一怒之下,停止了風的流動,結果整個世界的呼吸都停了下來。眾神惶恐不已,都來求告風神。梵天親自為哈努曼祝福,賜予他金剛不壞之體,在戰(zhàn)斗中刀槍不入。眾神之王因陀羅用身上一千只眼睛望著哈努曼發(fā)誓,天上的雷電再也不能傷害到他。
哈努曼力大無窮,上天入地,搬山跨海,無所不能。在《羅摩衍那》中,哈努曼受阿逾陀國羅摩王子之托,去尋找他被魔王劫走的妻子悉多。路上,哈努曼遇到了無數艱難險阻,有神靈的考驗,也有妖魔的阻攔,但所有的艱險,都沒能讓他停下腳步。其中有一個情節(jié),與《西游記》中“唐三藏路阻火焰山,孫行者一調芭蕉扇”的故事非常相似。
蛇神Surasa化身為兇惡的妖魔Rakshas,從海中躍出,攔住哈努曼的去路,用令人生畏的聲音喝道:
"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."
“來吧,猴族的王子,
你今天注定要成為我口中之食。
這是梵天的旨意,
多年前給予我的恩賜?!?nbsp;
哈努曼告訴蛇神,他是去尋找悉多,完成任務之后,就會回來,把自己送到蛇神口中??墒巧呱褚欢ㄒ囋嚬哪芰湍懥浚?/p>
"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!別指望這樣就能救你的命,
梵天沒有給過這樣的指令。
先到我的嘴里來,
然后再繼續(xù)你的旅程!”
哈努曼無奈之下,只有同蛇神斗智斗勇。只見他的身軀瞬間變大,足有50公里高,可蛇神變的妖魔張開大嘴,竟有100公里寬。哈努曼身子再拔高,妖魔的嘴就跟著變得更寬。聰明的哈努曼急中生智,施展法力突然變回拇指大小,冷不防跳進妖魔的口中,然后又一個筋斗,翻身躍出。
這時,蛇神變回原型,對哈努曼說:
"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,
成功與喜悅會伴你前行!
去吧,救出女主人悉多,
順利地把她交給君王羅摩?!?/p>
此后,哈努曼用同樣的方法鉆進女妖Sinhika的腹中,在里面翻江倒海,殺死了妖魔,一躍而出。再后來,哈努曼跋山涉水,歷盡千辛萬苦,終于在魔王羅波那的Lanka城堡中找到了悉多,并幫助羅摩打敗了羅波那。因其聰明智慧、勇敢忠誠和堅忍不拔,哈努曼成了最受人喜愛的神話人物。在印度,信奉印度教、錫克教、耆那教的人都相信,信奉崇拜哈努曼能夠驅災辟邪,不受惡魔的侵害。
怎么樣?哈努曼的這些本領,是不是很像孫悟空?
除了《羅摩衍那》,印度另一部偉大史詩《摩訶婆羅多》(Mahabharata)中也有哈努曼的故事。不僅如此,哈努曼早已經走出了印度,在南亞、東南亞、中亞、伊朗北部地區(qū)、中國西藏和于闐一帶都有不同版本的哈努曼故事和哈努曼神廟。在泰國,還有一種傳統(tǒng)的民間表演叫Ramlila,類似《羅摩衍那》故事的再創(chuàng)作,但主角變成了哈努曼。
中國和印度兩個文明古國,各有一個神猴,中國的孫悟空和印度的哈努曼。無論這兩個猴子有沒有親屬關系,都可以作為中印文化交流互鑒的樣板,因為在他們身上,寄托著人類最為浪漫的想象和最為珍貴的品質,那就是聰明、忠誠和勇敢。