Ancient Jaina Hymns

Author(s): Charlotte Krause
Publisher: SCIndia Oriental Institute Ujain

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ANCIENT JAINA HYMNS
attendants of the Tirthaikaras are generally known and worshipped as the Yakşas and Yaksinīs, or the Sāsanadevas and Sāsanadevīs, and are often found represented at the side of images of the Tirthankaras.
References to these divinities in this particular function are obviously restricted to post-canonical literature: the earliest being contained in Pädalipta's "Nirvāņakalikā'' (according to Winternitz, prior to the 5th century) on the Svetāmbara, and in Yativrsabha's Tiloyapannatti and Vasunandin's Pratisthāsā. soddhära* (both about contemporaneous with the former) on the Digaribara side. In Svetāmbara canonical literature, the very expressions "Sāsanadeva" and "Sāsanadevi" do not occur, and the word “Yaksa" has a different sense. Generally, it stands as a denomination of one of the eight sub-classes of Vyantaras, which latter, in their turn, are one of the four niain categories of gods known to Jaina dogmatics. But that at
(1) Nirnarasāgara Press, 1926; p. 34 ff.
(2) M. iVinternitz, A History of Indian Literature, Vol. II, Publ. by the Univer:ity of Calcutta, 1933, p. 478.
(3) Part I, Publ. by Jaina Sanskřti Samraksala Sangha, Sholapur, 1943, p. 266 (IV, st. 934 ff.).
(4) As quoted in Vastusāra-prakarana, Jaipur City, 1036, “Pariţişta", p. 169 ff.
(5) I. Bhavanapatis, whose realm lies 1,000 yojanas below the surface of the earth, stretching thousands of yojanas into the depth, and who are divided into the 10 sub-classes: Asura-, Näga-, Vidyut., Suparna-, Agni-, Väta., Stanita-, Udadhi-, Dvipa-, and Dik-kumāras;
II. Vyantaras, whose abodes lie 100 yojanas below the surface of the earth, and who are divided into the 8 sub-classes : Kinnaras, Kimpuruşas, Mahoragas, Gandharvas, Yakşas, Ral:gasas, Bhūtas, and Picas;
III. Jyotişkas, located high up in space, and represented by the several suns, moons, planets, fixed-stars, etc.;
IV. Vaimānikas, residing in vimānas in a layer of space high above the realm of the Jyotişkas, and represented by divinities of the highest degrees of perfection, which increases in proportion to the elevation of their abodes from the ground.
Vide Tattv. IV, 11 ff.; Prajā. II, Sūtra 46 ff., Tiloyap. III, Devendrastaaprakirnaka st. 15 ff, etc.
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