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ANTIQUITY OF JAIN MANTRAS: VIDYADEVIS AND VIDYADHARAS
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sons of Kaccha and Mahākaccha, followed him from place to place, attended upon him sword in hand and served him zealously. Dharanendra, the king of snake-deities, who came to make obeisance to the lord, saw them serving the lord humbly, diligently and respectfully. Out of curiosity he inquired what their object was in thus serving the lord. They replied that the lord distributed lands amongst his sons and other Kșatriyas when they were in a distant country and that they were then serving the lord in order that the lord might do them some favour. Dharnendra replied with a smile that the lord was beyond favour and disfavour and indifferent even to his own body, was without any possessions or belongings and free from attachment like a lotus, and that as they had however served the lord for a long time he would give them lands on both the sides of Mt. Vaitādhya as its reward. As the lands were not approachable on foot, he said that, he would give them the flying-lore and also other Vidyās with the aid of which they might induce people to go with them there. They thanked him and Dharņendra gave them forty-eight thousand Vidyas of Gandharvas (Deities) and Pannagas (Snake-deities) including amongst them Mahārohiņi,* Prajnapti, Gaurī, Vidyunmukhi Mahājwālā, Tiraskārini, Bahurūpā and others. Nami and Vinami founded on the South and North sides of Mt. Vaitadhya fifty and sixty towns respectively. Their subjects were divided in sixteen Nikāyās or groups, eight Nikāyās belonging to Nami and the other eight to Vinami. The respective groups took their names from the names of the Vidyādevis presiding over them e. g. Gaurikas from Gauri, Gāndhāras from Gāndhāri, Mänavas from Manavi, Matangas from Mātangi, Kālakesās from Kālika etc. They installed Lord Rşabha in the courts in their towns as also the particular Vidyādevī presiding over the particular group of Vidyadharas.
* Avaśyakacūrņi additionally mentions that amongst the forty-eight thousand Vidyās Gauri, Gandhåri Rohiņi and Prajnapti are Mahavidyas.
Sri Dharanendra laid down rules for the observance of Vidyadharas: (1) No one
