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ANCIENT JAINA HYMNS
“Nāgakumāras”, and as such, be bound to wear the snake emblem,' as Aryanandila's Vairotyā ostentatiously does (“'nāgiņi nāgārúdhā nāga-karā nāga-bhūsivasarīrā, nāgehim siramālā nāga-muhā sā”, st. 3 of the pertinent stava).
As the deity whom our poem eulogizes, is doubtiessly a snake-goddess, she would probably not be Mallinātha's Sāsana-devī, but may be identical with the Dharana-priyā Vairotyā of Aryanandila's hymn. It remains to be seen whether she cannot be more clearly defined.
(3) The Jaina Pantheon knows of a third goddess of the name of Vairotyā, viz., one of the 16 “Vidyadevis”. The latter are common to Digambaras and Svetānbaras. Like the Sāsana-devas and -devīs, they too are first mentioned, as a group, and described, with their emblems, in post-canonical works. They are often invoked in connection with rites of a more or less tantric character as well as for purposes of magic protection, and thus play a great part in Jaina Mantra-śāstra* and in hymnal literature. Though it is possible that some of their features, particularly their number (16), are connected with such of the 16 tantric Goddesses of the Hindu Agamas, viz., the ten forms
(1) Cp. Tattv. IV, 11, Bhāşya, p. 282 "éirassu phaụicihnă Nāgalumā. rah").
(2) The word "Vidyā-devi" does not mean "Goddess of Learning" at all, a, Bhattacharya (loc. cit., p. 163 ff.) translates it, but "divine per:onnification of magic lore''. The "Goddess of Learning" is the "Śruta-devi" Sarasvati.
(3) The earliest references appear to be with the Svetämbaras the "Nirvanakalika" of Padalipta Sari, and with the Digambaras the "Prati stha-sära" of Vasunandin.
(4) Vide M. Bh. Jhaveri, "Comparative and Critical Study of Mantrasastra", p. 258.
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Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat
www.umaragyanbhandar.com
