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REMARKS ON THE TEXTS
The name of the Vidyā-devi Vairotyā occurs in the forms of "Vairotyā'' in Sanskrit, and "Vairoti'' as well as "Vaïruttā''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 "Nirvāņakalikā” further describes her as "Syāma-varņā, and mounted on a Boa constrictor (“ajagara-vāhanā”), Sāgaracandra Sūri in his "Sri. Mantrādhirāja-kalpa" (st. 15) as "payodharābhā" and mounted on a "vihanga-rāja”, and the likewise Svetāmbara "Acāradinakara" as "abja-muda-tāra-tuşāragaurā''s and seated on a lion ("simhavāhanā”), while according to the Digambara "Pratisthā-sāroddhära", she is “abhra-nila" or "haritā' and seated on a lion ("simhagā").
It appears that Bappabhatti Sûri and Sobhana Muni 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 “syāmā” and “nāgāstrapatrā” (i. e. “having snakes as weapon and vehicle'), and the latter as "syāma-dehā”, as "avisama-visabhrdbhūsaņā'' (i.e. "having harmless snakes as ornaments), and as "yatā.... pārindra-rājam" (i. e. "mounted on a king of pythons”).
(1) Hemacandra, Abhidhinacintamani, II, st. 154; Nirvanakalikå, p. 38 Ācāradinakara, as quoted by Bhattacharya.
(2) Pratișthā-siroddhāra, as quoted by Bhattacharya , p. 175. (3) Santikara-stava, loc. cit. (4) J. St. Sand., II, p. 241.
(5) Here in the sense of "shining" as in the expression "gauranga" as an epithet of Kispa.
(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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Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat
www.umaragyanbhandar.com
