Jain Rup Mandan

SR No.: 001961
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Umakant P Shah
Publisher: Abhinav Publications
Publication Year: 1987
Total Pages: 466
Language: English
Classification: Book_English & Art
File Size: 27 MB

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Kulakaras and Salákāpurusas of the Kulakaras. The Tiloyapannatti gives the following list: Pāņānga (Pānānga), Turiyanga (Tūryānga), Bhusaņānga (Bhūşananga), Vatthanga (Vastrānga), Bhoyanga (Bhojanānga), Alayanga (Alayanga), Diviyanga (Dipakanga), Bhāyaṇanga (Bhajanāóga), Mālanga (Mälānga), Tejarga (Tejānga) with excellent drinks, music, ornaments, garments, edibles and ready-made dishes, mansions to live in, lamps, utensils and garlands of flowers respectively while the last type, namely Tejanga, seems to be selfluminous, serving the purpose of heavenly luminaries. 13
The Paumacariyam gives a similar list with slightly different titles but signifying the same characteristics of these Wish-fulfilling trees. 14 The Sthänănga sūtra 15 gives the following names: Mattangatā (Mattānga), Bhiyanga (Bhstānga), Tuditanga (Truţitānga), Divanga (Dipanga), Joti-anga (Jyotişanga), Cittanga (Chitranga), Cittarasă (Chitrarasāh), Maniyanga (Manianga), Gehāgāra (Gehākara), Anitaņā or Anianga (Anagnakā).
The Jivăjivābhigama sūtra elaborately describes the functions of each of the types of wishing trees mentioned above. Thus they provide the Yugalikas (twin-born) with wives and intoxicants, utensils, music and musical instruments, (serve the purpose of) small lamps, (also of the bigger) heavenly luminaries, (and supply people with) garlands, edibles, riches and ornaments, mansions and residential quarters, and garments to cover the privy). It would be interesting to note that sculpture of the Surga age, especially Bharhut and Sanchi, shows representations of this type of Kalpavskṣa motif. Garlands, ornaments etc. hung from creepers are found depicted in several specimens. Sri Sivaramamurti has referred to such specimens, in another context, in his work entitled Sculpture Inspired by Kalidāsa, 16 and has referred to descriptions of such motifs in his essay. The consensus of opinion does not agree with his dating of Kalidasa in the first century B.C., but the evidences collected by him help us now to conclude that the motifs remained popular upto the fifth century A.D., which again is the age of the latest edition of the Sve. Jaina canon. The descriptions of the Kalpavīksas, however, are so detailed that we are inclined to regard them as older than the age of Kalidasa and it would not be wholly unwarranted if we regard them at least as old as the first two centuries of the Christian era if not as old as the first or second century B.C. As shown by Moticandra, 17 the Riyapaşeņaiya gives a very realistic description of the Jaina stūpas of the Kuşāņa Age. This description of the Kalpa trees is another evidence to show that most of the available Anga and Upānga text portions are not later than the age of Arya Skandila of the Mathura council in early fourth century A.D. Belief in the Kulakaras, which is closely associated with the descriptions of the Primitive Man and the Kalpavíkşas, is also not later than the fourth century A.D. It is difficult to fix up an upper limit for the tradition. 18
B. SALĀKĀPURUŞAS
The Jaina conception and evolution of the Salákāpuruşas has been discussed in the Chapter on Notes on the Jaina Pantheon giving classifications of Jaina deities. Salākāpurusas are 63 according to both the sects. As shown before, in the earlier stage there were only 54 Saläkāpuruşas and the nine Prati-Vāsudevas came to be regarded as such great men only at a later stage. The following pages will give an account of the twelve Cakravartis, the nine Vasudevas, the nine Baladevas and the nine Prati-Vasudevas, only so far as it concerns our study. Details about their lives are not within the scope of this work.
The Näradas. the Rudras, or the Kamadevas, excepting only Bahubali, the first Kamadeva, are minor deities and except Bahubali, have no place in Jaina temple worship, nor are they regarded as Salākāpuruşas.
Representations of some scenes of Cakravartin's conquests and of fights between Vasudeva and Prati-Vasudeva were carved in relief on some Jaina temple walls of the mediaeval period but these require a special study. Unfortunately this writer could not do so. However such scenes, especially from the Jaina versions of the Rāmāyana, are found on walls of Jaina temples in Western India. The whole story of Bharata and Bahubali is depicted in the dome of the porch in front of the sabhimandapa of the Vimala Vasahi, Delvāda, Mt. Abu.
Recently a set of two long painted wooden book-covers of a palm-leaf manuscript, assignable to the