Here is Buddha seated in the meditation posture. He was meditating in order to receive illumination (bodhi). So far he was assisted by the gods. But there were also contradictory forces that wanted to manifest themselves and act. One of them was Mara, the Evil One. He tried every kind of treachery to wean away Buddha from the path of knowledge. Failing this, he decided to use the attraction of his beautiful daughters to distract Buddha from his path.
Buddha here has his eyes closed to any kind of temptation. The beautiful woman has a curvaceous body and wears a clinging lower garment and a long scarf that barely covers her upper body. She has long tresses flowing like a river along her back. She has her arm over the Buddha's shoulder and in that hand with tapering fingers she holds a lotus bud. The other arm is going around his body. She looks seductively at Buddha who in sharp contrast has a serene expression on his face, completely unaffected by the siren's charms. His eyes are closed and the lashes almost touch his cheeks. His lips are full and painted red. The hair is knotted on top of his head.
The background is shaded in different hues of brown. The halo behind Buddha's head is in a light colour, bringing to maximum effect the dark crackle.
This description by Kiranjyot
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The Life of Buddha As Legend and History (Hardcover Book)
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