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ASPECTS OF JAINOLOGY VOL-VII
8. Ibid., 4. 9. Ibid., 6. 10. Ibid., 7. 11.Ibid., 15. 12.Ibid., 17. 13. Ibid., 23. 14. Svetāśvatara, VI.8. 15. Ibid., IV.3. 16.S.B.S. 1.4.3. 17.Ibid., II.1.30. 18. Minākṣīstotram. 19.Lalitātriśatībhāsya. 20.Durgāsaptaśati. IX.6. 21. Ibid., Ix.
22.Devibhāgavata, III.6.2. 23. Ibid., IV. I.1. 24. Ibid., 25. Atharvandvitiyopanişad(The last lines). 26.śrīcakropanişad (The last lines). 27. Srividyātārakopanişad (The last lines). 28. Srikarapatra Swami, Srividya-Varivasyä, Edtd. by Sri Sītā Rama Kaviräja) Akhi Bharatiya Dharmasangha, Varanasi. p.22. 29.Ibid., p.23. 30.Ibid., p.23. 31. Kathopanişad, 1.2.7. 32.Ibid., 1.3.4. 33.Bhagavadgita, VII.3 34. Trpuropanişad, 8.
ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF TĪRTHANKARA IMAGES
Dr. Harihar Singh
Jainism is a living faith in India. The Jainas Krşņa. This order received great impetus under Pārsva attribute a great antiquity to their religion. According and Mahāvīra in the 8th and 6th centuries B.C. to Jaina tradition Jainism is eternal, and has been respectively.? Attempts have, however, been made to revealed again and again by various Tīrthankaras who show that prior to the Vedas, Jainism existed even in are also called Jinas, that is' the one who has conquered the Indus civilization. But this is merely a conjecture. the world'. In the present Aavasarpini period (the Unless sound evidence come to light, it is hard to say descending half of the time wheel) there were twenty- anything with a degree of certainty. Apart from this four Tīrthankaras, the Ist being Rsabhadeva and the except for the last two Tirthārkaras, namely Pārsva last, Vardhamāna Mahāvīra.
and Vardhamāna, whose historicity is proved beyond The Jainas trace their origin to the doubt, * all the Jainas appear to be mythical figures, as Vedas. Their earliest Tirthankara Lord Rşabha, is no historical records whatsover have come to light. referred to in the Vişnu and Bhāgavata Purūņas. The I t was for long belived that Indian art Rgveda refers to a certain Kesi, that is one who has originated from the age of Mauryas, but wih the locks of hair; and since this is found associated with discovery of the Indus civilization the antiquity of Rşabha, it is supposed that Kesi is a synonym for Indian art goes to the 3rd millenium B.C. There is a Rşabha. This is furthr supported by an evidence in big hiatus between this pre-historic phase of Indian the Rgveda itself, wherein Keśī and Vrşabha - bull, art and the earliest historical period, namely the the vehicle of Rsabha - are described together.' That Mauryan. But the explorations and excavations done Jainism was in existence in the Ķgvedic period is also in the Indus and the Gangetic valleys and elsewhere supposed by the fact that there existed a religious order are bringing this hiatus closer, and it is quite possible which denied the authority of the Veda. This heretic that after sometime we may be able to reconstruct the religion was probably Jainism. At the time of the histoy of this period. It was due probably to the Mahābhārata war, this Order was led by Neminātha, perishable nature of the materials like wood, clay, the 22nd Tirthankara, who was a relative of Lord ivory, etc., that the art objects could not long survive. Dr. Harihar Singh, Reader, Dept. of A. I. H.C., B. HU.
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