Ancient Jaina Hymns

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

Page 25

INTRODUCTION
least Dharana, or Dharanendra, the most popular ax the Sāsanadevas, cannot be meant to belong to the Yakşa sub-class of the Vyantaras, is clear from the facts (1) that this Yaksa sub-class of the Vyantaras is stated to be ruled by two Indras only, viz., Pūrņabhadra and Māņibhadra', not leaving room for a third Indra "Dharana", and, (2) that they are not snake-deities, while the Sasanadeva Dharana is most decidedly a snake-god. Obviously, he is identical with the Dharana whom Jaina dogmatics mention as the Indra of the southern section of the Nāga-kumāras, the second sub-class of the Bhavanapatis, whose eniblem is the snake'. Yet if this identity is assumed, the difficulty arises that the Sāsanadeva Dharaṇa is unanimously described as being accompanied by his mate Padmāvati, while a list of the names of the chief-queens. of the Nāga-kumiīra ruler Dharaṇa' does not contain the name of "Padmāvati", as Professor H. R. Kapadia has. pointed out. If the Senaprasna is correct in insisting on the identity of both, as well as on Padmāyatı being Dharana's chief queen”, the name of "Padmāvati" would have to be taken as an original epithet or apposition to any one of those Indrānīs, replacing, later on, the actual name.
As thus Dharañendra, anyhow, does not belong to the Yakşa sub-class of the Vyantaras, the now prevalent technical meaning of the word "Yaksa" as "divine
(1) Cp. Tattv, IV, 6 and Devendrast. st. 15 ff. and 66 ff.
(2) Vide Tattv. IV, 12, p. 284, Bhögya, where these Yakşas are called "vata-výkşadhvaja", i. c., having the banyan tree as their emblem.
(3) Vide Prają. loc. cit.; in Tiloy. the name is "Dharap panda". (4) Tattv, IV, 11, p. 252, Bhāşya ("phani-cihna"). (5) Bhagavati-sūtra X, 5; Jsātādh. II, 1, etc. (6) Šobbana Muni, Stuti-caturvim katikā, Āgamodaya-samiti, 1926, p. 279. (.) II, 112, as quoted loc. cit.
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