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sentation on stone of the Indian game with a ball (Gendi-dado). Stylistically, the whole relief does not belong to the age of Vimala Saha and the sculpture. should be assigned to c. 13th century A.D.
Fig. 3 represents a theme which is very famous in Hindu Mythology. The scene of the slaying of the Daitya King Hiranyakasyapa being killed by the Man-Lion incarnation of Vishnu is carved in bold relief in the centre of a sixteen-petalled lotus. The sculpture is a remarkable specimen of art, probably of c. thirteenth century A.D. The four outer panels of the rectangular slab show mythological scenes; of these, one at least, can be identified as the story of the churning of the ocean by gods and demons (amṛtamanthana).
Fig. 4 is from the first ceiling of the Bhamati in front of cell 12, Vimala Vasahi, and is labelled as Bhāva 19 by Muni Jayantavijayaji. The whole slab shows in the centre three concentric circular bands where in are represented the main events in the life of the sixteenth Tirthankara Santinātha, including a scene from his previous existence as King Megharatha when he weighed his body against a pigeon to save the latter's life. Scenes of Kalyanakas in this sculpture may be compared with those in the Bhava No. 9 in the same temple.
In an earlier birth, the soul of Santinatha was born as King Megharatha who possessed clairvoyant knowledge. Once a god, Surupa by name, desired to test the steadfastness in the pracice of Dharma on the part of Megharatha. He, therefore, entered the body of a pigeon which was being pursued by a falcon, flew in the meditation hall of Magharatha with cries for help, and
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took shelter into the lap of the King, who was meditating there. Megharatha asked the bird not to worry at all and promised protection at any cost. The falcon, chasing, followed in and told the King that since it was dying of hunger, its bird of prey should be handed over. The king offered to satisfy its hunger with anything. The falcon insisted on having human flesh equal to the weight of the pigeon. The king instantly ordered for a balance, and, since a pious Jaina of his type would not injure any other being, he began cutting his own flesh and putting it on the scales. But the god in the pigeon's body kept on increasing in weight till ultimately the king decided to sacrifice his whole body and put himself in the scales. God Surupa, convinced of Megharatha's steadfastness in Dharma, was pleased with him, and healing wounds of the kind and blessing him, went away to heavens (for further details in the life of Santinatha, see, Trisaṣṭiśalākāpuruşacaritra, parva 5).
A more elaborate relief sculpture representing the life of Santinātha is however preserved in a big ceiling in a Jaina shrine at Kumbharia (Fig. 5). The whole relief is divided into 4 sections, the innermost being a circle enclosed in a square. The circle is a circular representation of the Samavasarana of Santinatha. The different scenes in the different sections have inscribed labels. The second and third sections, for example, show the dikṣā of Santinätha, King Aśvasena and Queen Ayarā, the parents of this Jina, the dreams seen by the Queen Mother when Säntinātha descended in her womb from heaven, the Nativity of Santinātha, Santinātha as Chakravartin or World. Conqueror and so on. The fourth section shows the Baladeva and Väsu
| SR No. | 536283 |
| Book Title | Jain Yug 1959 |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Sohanlal M Kothari, Jayantilal R Shah |
| Publisher | Jain Shwetambar Conference |
| Publication Year | 1959 |
| Total Pages | 524 |
| Language | Gujarati |
| Classification | Magazine, India_Jain Yug, & India |
| File Size | 34 MB |