Ambika on Jaina Art and Literature

Author(s): Maruti Nandan Prasad Tiwari
Publisher: Bharatiya Gyanpith

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Ambika
examples are the twenty-four-Jinas. The Jainas have given various legends regarding the previous births of the Jinas alongwith several other miraculous incidents including the upasargas (hindrances) put to them by some contemporaries who were enemies of their previous existence, and by evil spirits. The episode of Jina Pārsvanatha and Meghamalin (Kamatha in previous birth) is one such famous illustration of such legends.
Due to the extremely venerated position and popularity of Ambika in Jaina worship, different legendary stories developed around her after the 13th century A.D. It was perhaps intended to shroud the origin of Ambika in mystery and push back the antiquity of her worship to still remote period, i.e. even before the sixth century A.D. The legends also incorporate such details which gave rise to her basic iconographic form. The legends of Ambika also reveal how a common soul like that of Ambika gradually acquired the position of a highly revered Yakṣi by her virtues.
The earliest legendary account of Ambika is found in the Ambika-devi-kapla of Jina-prabha Sūri (c. A.D. 1335) forming the 61st chapter of the Kalpa-pradipa of the selfsame author. 36 The work mentions that there once lived an orthodox learned Brahmin Soma-bhatta in the city of Koḍinar in Saurashtra. Soma had a virtuous and devoted wife in Ambika (Ambini in Prakrit) who had a couple of sons, Siddha and Buddha. Once Soma invited some Brahmins to a dinner on the occasion of the śrāddha ceremony of his ancestors. While meals were ready Ambika's mother-in-law went out for a bath and a muni, who was on fast for complete one month, turned in and asked Ambikā for some food to break his fast. Ambikā happily offered different dishes prepared for the Brahmins to that muni. When the matter was reported to Soma, he was enraged and drove Ambika out of the house. As a consequence Ambika, alongwith her children, was rendered homeless.
Ambika felt helpless when her sons asked for food and water. Owing to the meritorious deed of Ambika (of her having given alms to the Jaina monk) some miracles occurred to her at this point when a dried mango tree by the road side came to bear mangoes and a dry lake nearby was filled at once with water to feed Ambika and her sons. Ambika tired of her aimless wandering then rested under the shade of the mango tree for some time. On the other hand, the miracles occurring in the home at once opened the eyes of Soma and his mother. They were then filled with remorse, and conse