Jains Through Time

SR No.: 006591
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Shilapi Sadhvi
Publisher: Veerayatan
Total Pages: 282
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 16 MB

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The Jains through Time
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more respect and are almost more revered in Tirthankars is not just a decorative our lives than man. In the Vedic culture, the embellishment or an iconographic sign used Garuda (eagle) is Lord Vishnu's chosen for ease of identification. There are no 'vehicle'. Shiva mounts the bull Nandi. Lord astrological or other arcane mysteries Ganesh, the son of Shiva and Parvati, uses encoded here. They are the outward signs the rat. His elder brother, Kartikeya, has the that represent a great philosophy. If their peacock, now India's national bird. Goddess purpose had been for identification alone, Laxmi travels on the owl, Saraswati on the any sign or symbol could have been used. In swan, Durga, Chakreshvari and Ambika my view three different concepts are clearly have the lion and Yamaraj has the buffalo. In demonstrated here. mythologies all over the world many gods and goddesses are associated with a Firstly, they represent equality between man particular bird or beast. In this way we are and animal. Man is not superior to the birds introduced to a thread of oneness with all and beasts nor are they inferior to him. The living creatures and taught to love each and symbols are the expression of the every one of them.
philosophy that as far as consciousness is
concerned, every living being in creation is The Jain religion embodies compassion. Of important. our twenty four Tirthankars, seventeen have been depicted with particular birds or beasts Secondly, there is diversity amongst the at their feet. The symbol of the first birds and beasts. Each one has a special Tirthankar, Rishabhdev, is the bull. quality, i.e. the lion has strength, the bull is Ajitanath has the elephant, Sambhavanath, reliable and the elephant has gravitas. No the horse, Abhinandannath, the monkey, living being is without a virtue of some Shantinath, the deer, Kunthunath, the goat kind. We should try to understand that each and Parshvanath has the snake. This species has its own virtues. We should absorb association of animals with the image of the these ideas and make them our own.