从无名氏到大英雄:论哪吒形象的演变与东传

From Nobody to Great Hero:The Evolution and Eastern Transmission of Nezha’s Image

哪吒是中国各类叙事文学和戏曲影视作品中家喻户晓的人物形象,哪吒的原型可以追溯至印度,其源头与印度教神话中的吠室罗伐那形象密切相关。早期的“吠陀”文献中,吠室罗伐那常被用来指称俱毗罗,身份是罗刹之王。随着雅利安文化与达罗毗荼文化融合的加深,吠室罗伐那的地位显著提升。经过两大史诗和各种“往世书”的改编和塑造,他不仅拥有完整的身世,而且获得财神及一方守护神的神格,其子那罗俱波罗的形象也出现在婆罗门教万神殿之中。后来,吠室罗伐那和那罗俱波罗的传说被佛教,尤其是佛教密宗吸收,演变为该派崇拜的毗沙门天王父子(祖孙)。唐朝时期,随着佛教密宗的东传,毗沙门信仰在中国盛极一时,哪吒作为毗沙门天王的子孙,开始受到关注。晚唐至宋朝,毗沙门信仰与以初唐军事家李靖为崇拜对象的民间战神信仰相互融合,哪吒的故事逐渐从宗教文学走入世俗文学,并在南宋以后融入道教的元素,发展至元明时代基本定型,趋于大众化。得益于《西游记》《封神演义》等文学作品对其外形、身世、武器等方面的细化与扩充,哪吒的形象一直流传至今,成为世人熟悉的少年英雄,在四川、台湾等地区广受敬仰和崇拜。

Nezha is a well-known character in various forms of narrative literature,and film and television works in China.In fact,the prototype of Nezha can be traced back to India,and his origin is closely related to the image of Vaisravana in Hindu mythology.In early“Vedic”literature,Vaisravana was often used to refer to Kubera,identified as the king of the Rakshasas.With the deepening integration of Aryan culture and Dravidian culture,the status of Vaisravana significantly rose.Through adaptations and shaping in the two epics and various“Puranas”,Vaisravana did not only acquire comprehensive biographical narrative but also gained the status of a god of wealth and a regional guardian deity.His son,Narakubara,also appeared in the Brahminical pantheon.Subsequently,the legends of Vaisravana and Narakubara were absorbed by Buddhism,particularly Tantric Buddhism and evolving into the worship of father-son(or grandfather-grandson)Vaisravana,one of the Heavenly Kings.During the Tang Dynasty,with the eastward spread of Tantric Buddhism,the Vaisravana worship reached its peak in China.Nezha,as the descendant of Vaisravana,began to attract attention.From the late Tang and Song Dynasties,the Vaisravana worship merged with the folk belief in Li Jing,a heroic figure of the early Tang Dynasty.The story of Nezha gradually moved from religious literature to secular literature,and after the Southern Song Dynasty integrated elements of Taoism.By the Yuan and Ming Dynasties,Nezha’s image essentially took shape and become popularized.This was largely due to literary works such as Journey to the West and The Investiture of the Gods,which refined and expanded his appearance,background,and weapons.Nezha’s image has been passed down to this day and become a familiar young hero widely revered and worshipped in places such as Sichuan and Taiwan region.