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Arhat Pärśva and Dharanendra Nexus
विदधुर्मीतनृत्यादि भक्तिभावितचेतसः ॥ ध्यानलीनः प्रभुश्चास्थानिर्विरोषो द्वयोरपि । नागाधिराजे धरणे मेघमालिनि चासुरे ॥ तत्र प्रभोः गर्भस्थे सति शयनीयस्था माता पार्श्वे सर्पन्तं कृष्णसर्प दर्श ततः पार्थेति नामकृतिः । स्पृशति ज्ञानेन सर्वभावानिति पार्श्वः । तथा गर्भस्थे जनन्दा निशि सर्पो दृष्टः इति गर्भानुभावोयमिति मत्वा पश्वतीति निरुक्तत्वात्पार्श्वः । पार्थोऽस्य वैयावृत्यकरः यक्षः तस्य नाथः पार्श्वनाथः ।
-farafetersilahlym afa, IX. 3. 249-81. The above references demonstrate the role of Dharanendra Nāga in the life of Pārsvanātha. The association of Nāga with him probably dates from very early times. It is, then, reasonable to concede to Pārsva's early connection with the Nāga cult (serpent-worship) and/or with the Nāga tribe. Mathurā, where we find so many figures of Pārsva (either singly or in the Caumukha representations) is known from the Brahmanical sources as a haunt of the Nāgas (compare the account of Kālīyadamana and Krsna); the recovery of the icons of Dadhikarņa Nāga, also of Balarama who, too, is associated with Nāga and who is regarded as an incarnation of Śeşa— his earliest known image (c. 2nd cent. B.c.) has been found in the Mathura areais one more significant point. Also, recent excavations at Sonkh near Mathurā have revealed the existence of a Nāga-shrine and of a beautiful long stone panel with a Nāga king enthroned in the centre. 27
The association of Pārsva with the Nāga cult and the fact that he lived in the seventh or sixth century B.C. should suggest a further line of investigation into the origin of his sect. It is said that the ancient city of Ahicchatrā was so-called because, at this place, as mentioned by Devabhadra 28 Dharanendra came to worship Pārsva standing in meditation and in order to protect the Jina from the heat of the tropical sun the snake-king (abi) held his expanded hoods as an umbrella (chatra) over the head of the Jina engaged in meditation. Since then, the place, formerly known as Sivapurī, came to be called Ahicchatrã.29 (The true appellation is of course Adhicchatrā. The conversion of the Sanskrit dha" into "ha" in Mahārāștri Prāksta and its subsequent retention in Sanskrit gave scope for the formulation of this explanatory myth.)
Pārsva, as all writers agree, hailed from Vārāṇasī and is reported to have widely travelled in the eastern parts of India as far as Kalinga. Both Uttar Pradesh and Bihar were known to have been inhabited by Nāga tribe and by followers of the Nāga cult from ancient times. In the Vasudevabindi of Sanghadāsa Gani (c. mid-6th century A.D.), it is said that, when Bhagiratha brought the Gangā to the plains,
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