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food before Holocene. Here we may recall the glory of Egyptian god Thoth or Tehuti who is sometimes represented as the divine baboon or dog-ape (cynocephalus) worshipping the Sun. The deity being both a divine healer and an embodiment of wisdom was addressed by the great god Ra as follows:
“For thee, O Thoth I shall make a resplendent abode in the great deep and the underworld which is Duat. Thou shalt record the sins of men, and the names of those who are mine enemies ;...
"So came into being by his power the ibis, the crane, and the dogape, the messengers of Thoth."
(Donald A. Mackenize : Egyptian Myths and Legends, p. 11).
In Indian mythology the monkey has at times an exalted position in respect of purity, faith and devotion. Apart from the role of Hanumāna, the devoted follower of Rāma, the avatāra of Vişņu, the cosmic deity, the monkey appears as a cognizance of Jaina Tirthankara Abhi
A scene envisaging Siva Pasupati or a supreme meditation as that of a Jina or any other saint of distant past. The motif is carved on a seal
from Mohenjo-daro, Pakistan.
JAINTHOLOGY / 5
