________________
288
INTRODUCTION
'Jain Mantravāda and Caityavāsis' we stated how the Māntric literature comprised in the tenth Pūrva, Vidyānupravāda may reasonably be supposed to belong to the age of Sri Pārsvanātha. Then we stated how he has been invoked in the hymn Uvasaggaharam and described the life led by several Pārsvāpatyās who employed Nimitta invol use of Mantras and Vidyās for obtaining necessaries of life and how Mantrikas adopted Sri Pārsvanātha as the Mantric deity par excellence. Dharanendra, the principal attendant-deityx of Sri Pārsvanātha is connected with the origin of Vidyās as stated above. Naturally, therefore, Vidyādharas + as well as all Sadhakas of Mantras and Vidyās especially worshipped Sri Pārsvanātha. 'Purisādāņiya'-respected by the people-is the title of Sri Pārsvanātha given in Kalpasūtra which aptly describes his popularity not only during his life but also thereafter. Moreover those Mantras and Vidyās become popular of which the presiding deities are alert and respond quickly. It is believed that the attendant deities of Sri Pārsvanātha are alert and respond at once when invoked. Further from Jnātādharmakathānga II Srutaskandha it appears that many of the female ascetic disciples of Sri Pārsvanātha
came on their death the chief queens of Indras of different heavenly regions. All the chief queens of the twenty Indras of Bhuvanapatideities, of sixteen Indras of Vyantara-deities, of the Moon and the
* After Sri Bhadrabāhu, Sri Padaliptasūri also invoked Sri Pārsvanātha in a Mantric hymn of 7 verses which is in the writer's collection. We give here the first and the last verses thereof: 77551ET, Farofattarefacuta!
नामग्गहणं वज्जं धरेइ न हु तस्स उवसग्गा ॥१॥
इय (मह) सप्पहावेगवीस-मंतक्खरगभिय-महायुतं ।
qonaggi, faat 49979 x “विजया जया य कमठो पउमावइ-पासजक्ख वइरुटा ।
धरणो विज्जादेवी सोलसऽहिद्वायगा जस्स ॥" श्रीपार्श्वनाथ कल्प + "3faa: TFTHET Fora Paaratamattor
पूर्व हि वैताढयगिरौ जिनं तं वन्दे सदा शङ्खपुरावतंसम् ।।"
Jain Education International 2010_03
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
