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REMARKS ON THE TEXTS
The name of the Vidya-dovi Vairotyā occurs in the forms of "Vairotyā" in Sanskrit, and "Vairoti' as well as “Vaïrutta''3 in Prakrit sources. All the texts, so far as they give a description, agree in depicting her as holding a snake, or snakes, in one, or two respectively, of her four hands. The "Nirvanakalikā” further describes her as "syāma-varņā”, and mounted on a Boa constrictor ("ajagara-vāhanā"), Sāgaracandra Sūri in his "ŚriMantrādhiraja-kalpa." (st. 15) as "payodharābhā" and mounted on a "vihanga-rāja", and the likewise Sve. tāmbara "Acāradinakara" as "abja-muda-tāra-tuşāragaurā'' and seated on a lion ("simhavāhana"), while according to the Digambara "Pratisthā-säroddhära", she is "ablira-nila" or "haritā” and seated on a lion ("simhagā").
It appears that Bappablaţti Sūri and Sobhana Nuni refer to this Vidyā-devi when they eulogize a goddess "Vairotyā'' each in the fourth stanza of one of the stutis of their famous,''Caturvimsatikās" (Nos. 18 and 23 resp.), the former describing her as "Syānā” and “nāgāstrapatrā” (1. e. "having snakes as weapon and vehicle"), and the latter as "syāma-dehā", as "avişama-vişabhrdbhūsaņā” (i. e. "having harmless snakes as ornaments), and as "yātā.... pārindra-rājam” (. e. "mounted on a king of pythons").
(1) Hemacandra, Abhidhinacintīmaņi, II, st. 154; Nirvapakalikā, p. 38 Ācāradinakara, as quoted by Bhattacharya.
(2) Pratişthi-siroddhira, as quoted by Bhattacharya, p. 175. (3) Santikara-stava, loc. cit. (4) J. St. Sand., II, p. 241.
(5) Here in the sense of "slining" as in the expression "gauràòga" as an epithet of Kropa.
(6) Here in the sense of "dark-blue".
(7) Edited by Professor H. R. Kapadia, Agamodaya-Samiti Nos. 53 and 52.
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