________________
Aptamīmāṁsā
The eight splendours (prātihārya) are 1. aśoka vrkșa – the Ashoka tree; 2. simhāsana – bejeweled throne; 3. chatra – three-tier canopy; 4. bhāmaņdala - halo of unmatched luminance; 5. divya dhvani - divine voice of the Lord without
lip movement; 6. puspa-varşā – shower of fragrant flowers; 7. cāmara – waving of sixty-four majestic flywhisks; and 8. dundubhi – dulcet sound of kettle-drums and other musical instruments. Jain, Vijay K. (2014), “Ācārya Pujyapāda’s Istopadeśa –
The Golden Discourse", p. 2-4.
The aforesaid symbols of superior excellence fail to establish real greatness; these symbols can be found in celestial beings too who are swayed by passions like anger, pride, deceitfulness and greed. It may be claimed that your symbols of superior excellence appear on the destruction of the four inimical (ghātiyā) karmas - deluding (mohanīya), knowledge-obscuring (jñānāvarṇīya), perception-obscuring (darśanāvarṇīya), and obstructive (antarāya) - but it is not so in the case of the celestial beings. What is the basis of this assertion? Scripture? Let us wait till we are able to establish which scripture among many is a valid source of knowledge.