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Jain texts of early medieval date, such as the Abbidbana Chintamani, the Trişastiśalakāpuruşacharita, and others contaio details concerning the individual Jinas, their iconographic features, special symbols, associated animals, and the attending lesser divinities. Some older texts like the Samavayangasutra, also contain important notices of cognate subjects, ofcourse, with a difference. From these texts we gather that bull (vrşabha) is the symbol or emblem of Rsubhanath, the Ādi Guru, elephant that of Ajitapath the second Teacher, the rhinoceros that of Sreyāmsa, the 11th Teacher, buffalo that of Vasupujya the 12th Teacher. monkey that of Abhinandanapatha the 4th Teacher, snake that of Parsvanath and lion that of Mahavira. All these creatures, to wit, the bull, elephant, rhinoceros, buffalow, monkey, spake and the lion, are depicted in the Indus seals, some in association with anthropomorphic icons, and others in various situations, The fact that those very animals, which have been receiving veneration from devout votaries of Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism throughout the historic times, are depicted and perhaps deified already in the fourth or the third millennium B. C., naturally attracts our attention. And one important result of these observations is that these respected animals are found associated for the first time and in the oldest antiquities of the land, with those anthropomorphic figures which can with great probability be associated with most ancient Jinas. In other words, it is possible to say without any fear of contradiction, that the animal symbolism of Jain iconography, which plays an imdortant part in Jain art and literature of historic epoch, is as old as the third millenpium B. C., if not older still. The very famous steatite seal from Mobenjodaro, discovered by Dr. B. Mackay, studied and illustrated by Sir John Marshall, in bis great work on Mohenjodaro and the Indus Civilisation, and popularised by the latter as a "prototype of historic Siva", 1 bears the realistic figures of four important and sacred animals, grouped around a curious person who is seated in a very difficult ascetic posture on a pedestal. Following Sir Marshall, most 1. John Marshall, Mohenjodaro and the Indus Civilization,
vol. 1, London, 1931, Plate xii, 17, pp. 52-54.
| SR No. | 010092 |
| Book Title | Jain Darshan aur Sanskruti Parishad |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Mohanlal Banthia |
| Publisher | Mohanlal Banthiya |
| Publication Year | 1964 |
| Total Pages | 263 |
| Language | Hindi |
| Classification | Book_Devnagari |
| File Size | 9 MB |