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Arhat Pārsva with Dharanendra in Hymnic Literature
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(eventually replacing Vairotyā) from the time perhaps not before the later part of the tenth century.22 As a result, several tantric hymns invoking Padmăvati (and also in a few cases Dharanendra sometimes with, but generally without Pārsva) were composed in this period. The second trend may be sought in the prevalence of the belief in the miraculous power of the images of Pārsvanātha enshrined in the temples of certain specific sites. For some of these at least we know through the medieval anecdotes and legends that the original images were interred in relatively remoter past, under the compulsion presumably of some political exigency or adverse socio-religious circumstances, that accidentally came to light in the medieval times. Most of these relate to the western Nirgrantha or Svetāmbara Church. Foremost among them were the Stambhana-Pārsvanātha, the Sankhapura-Pārsvanātha, and the Pārsvanātha images of Cārūpa, Jirāpalli, Godi, Phalavarddhi, Karahetaka, Ajāharā and Ghoghā; one at least at Kalikuņda on the Kaligiri in Magadha and likewise a single isolated example of the pre-medieval Karnataka empire, the Antariksa Pārsvanātha of Śrīpura. Special hymns, in honour of some of these tirthas, in some cases also in Prāksta (and at least one in Apabhramsa) were composed, some tantric, some normal and innocuous, that range in date from about the beginning of the 11th to about the middle of the 18th century.
We shall begin with the citations from the Dharnoraga-stotra, a tāntric hymn addressed to the Pārsvanātha of Kalikunda by the lay-follower Sivanāga (c. A.D. 10001010), a contemporary of Virācārya of the northern (western) Nirgrantha (Svetāmbara) Church:23 It invokes Pārsvanātha as worshipped by Lord of Nāgas; it also alludes to the upasarga caused by the Daitya (Kamatha):
सकलभुनाभिवन्दित ! गरुडस्त्वं पन्नगेन्द्रकृतपूज ! । विषमविषानलशमनो जलद इव जलप्लुतालोकः ॥ १२॥ दैत्योपसर्गभीषणजलधरधरा विधौतकर्मकल ! । HOT! Frafaa ! Hafaye1401! P II 3.11
- श्री धरणोरगस्तोत्र
The illustrious agamic commentator Abhayadeva Sūri of Candra-kula, in his hymn in Apabhraíśa addressed to the Pārsvanātha of Stambhana (said to be consecrated by him in c. A.D. 1054 but may be later by some years), a highly emotive portrayal of Pārsva with the figure of Dharanendra with his full splendour occurs:24
फणिफणफारफुरंतरयणकररंजियनहयल, फलिणीकंदलदलतमालीलुप्पलसामल ।
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