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ANTIQUITY OF JAIN MANTRAS JAIN NARRATIVE LITERATURE
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Sūtrakṛtänga in a work composed earlier than even the origin of Tantras. They prove the existence of Vidyas not only about the time these works were written but also in very ancient times specially because they are described in such a matter-of-fact way in Sutrakṛtānga and are associated with legendery characters of great antiquity described in the said subsequent works.
SRI, HRI, DHRTI, KIRTI, BUDDHI & LAKŞMI
We have already shown existence of Jain Mantric deities in olden times. We might here refer to the footnote on page 201 ante giving a reference from Sri Bhagavati Sūtra IX, 11, Sūtra 430 to a marriage-present of the idols of the six deities. Sri, Hri, Dhṛti, Kirti, Buddhi and Lakṣmi. They seem to have been chosen as marriagepresent because they are believed to bring prosperity. It was Hridevi amongst these who inspired Udyotanasuri otherwise known as Dākṣinya -cinha to write his beautiful story named Kuvalayamālā.
JAIN NARRATIVE LITERATURE VIDYAS AND MANTRAS
Not merely the works already referred to but the whole of the Jain narrative literature is full of stories containing descriptions of miraculous achievements performed through the aid of Mantra, Mani* or gems, or Medicine and of Vidyadharas, Mantra-sādhanās and their incidental dangers. We would particularly refer to Sri Haribhadrasūri's Samaraiccakaha, the said Kuvalayamālā, Śrī Siddharṣi's Upamitibhavaprapanca-Katha, Sri Dhanapala's Tilakamanjarī, Sri Lakṣmaṇagani's Supāsanāha-cariyam and Sri Hemacandrācārya's Trisaṣṭhi-salākā-puruṣa -caritra and Sri Somaprabhācārya's Kumarapala-Pratibodha.
We shall give some references from Tilakamanjarī. At p. 25 ff. occurs Mantric initiation of the king when he obtained Aparajitā Vidyā for Sadhana of Rajalakṣmi; at p. 37 occurs worship of Sri and at p.
* अचिन्त्यः खलु प्रभावो मन्त्रमणिरोषधीनाम् ।
× Its famous author Siddharşi calls it composed by the goddess of speech (fi fafgar) in the colophon thereof.
