ISJS Jainism Study Notes E5 Vol 01

Author(s): International School for Jain Studies
Publisher: International School for Jain Studies

Page 273

SCHOOL
TIONAL
OF
SELF STUDY IS THE
SUPREME AUSTERITY,
STUDIES
Jina, in the symbolic structure of the caumukha, four images back to back on a square pedestal, signifying the same Tirthamkara preaching in four directions of the world. Mahāvira's nirvana is normally depicted in the dhyana-mudra, with the symbol of the crescent moon resting on mountain peaks figuring on his throne.
The Kalpasūtra of Bhadrabahu delineates at length the lives of only the four tīrthamkaras mentioned earlier, a preference that becomes evident in the paintings and sculptures in museums in India and around the world. Others like Bahubali, the Mahavidhyās, the Yakṣas, and Yaksis, and the ganadharas, also find a place in the domain of sculpture and graphic representations. According to Svetambara belief, Mallinatha, the 19th Tirthamkara was a woman with the earthen vessel or kalasa as her emblem. Subsequent traditions attributed multiple facets to each tirthamkaras-a special body colour, a pair of attendant daemons, ganadharas, an emblem of cognizance and also a special vṛksa or tree.
Jaina sculpture from the earliest stages also subscribes strictly to the conventional Indian tradition of artistic execution to the minutest degree. Sacred images were created strictly in a hierarchical order of images that called for a corresponding system of scales known as Tala. There were ten talas, starting with the highest unit of ten, dasatala, concerning divinities of the top order, and continuing with the human (astatala) and the lower forms (ekatala) of life and images. The dasatala images were divided into three parts-uttama, madhyama and adhama. Mahāvīra, along with Buddha, Bramha, Vişņu and Maheśvara, belonged to the prestigious top-club category, the uttama dasatala. These were the images of the supremely realized souls who in their omniscience merited an appropriate artistic representation. The sculptured image of divinity demanded special attention to four main anatomical features: the entire body, face, eyes and nose-reflecting fulfillment, beauty, joyousness, elegance and serenity. The purpose of such an artistic composition of beauty would be to create a sense of awe and veneration in the beholder.
The silpa texts prescribe in detail the measurements and nature for any image-in which the body is positioned perfectly straight with the arms by the sides in a natural way, the feet placed side by side with body weight equally distributed. The height of the body from crown to feet is divided into 124 parts, each part being known as dehāngulam or virala, which in turn is divided in 8 parts, each known as yavai. The sculptor uses the established tala norms as well as his own prowess to create the perfect configuration of the features of the face and body of the divinity concerned, taking recourse to nature as well at every turn to enhance the
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STUDY NOTES version 5.0