International Jain Conference 1985 3rd Conference

Author(s): Satish Jain, Kamalchand Sogani
Publisher: Ahimsa International

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The figures in Luna Vasahi show the goddess with four and six hands and riding a swan. An interesting point in this regard is the collective rendering of eight Sarasvati figures on each of the four pillars of Navacauki. The four-armed Sarasvati in these instances shows Varda-mudra (or varadaksa), long-stalked lotus (or manuscript), manuscript, (or Vina) and water--vessel. There are two examples wherein Sarasvati possesses six hands. These figures are carved in Bharamika ceiling of Devakulika No. 11 and in the ceiling close to Rangamandapa on north, Accompanied by a swan, she in latter case bears the Abhayaksa, a double petalled lotus (in two hands), a water-vessel and jnana-mudra (with the middle pair of hands). The other instance, again revealing her musical power, shows her as holding cymbols in middle pair of hands with a Vina in the upper left. The remaining three hands, as usual, show Varadaksa, a spiral lotus and a manuscript.
The four-armed figures from Ajitanatha temple at Taranga show the goddess with swan as mount and varadamudra, a goad (or a sruk or a lotus or even a vina,) a manuscript and a water-vessel (or a fruit) in hands. In a solitary instance showing her with six hands. (on west facade of Mulaprasada), she bears Varada, mudra-Abhaya mudra, a sruk, a manuscript, a lotus and a water-vessel. In two instances showing the goddess with eight hands and standing in Tribhanga (or atibhanga,) she carries Varada-mudra, a lotus (or rosary), a lotus bud, a manuscript, a noose (or a chatra-padma), a lotus bud (or a noose), a kalasa and a manuscript
The most exquisite of all the known figures of Sarasvati are the two images from Pallu (Bikaner, Rajasthan). Of the two identical figures, one is in the National Museum, New Delhi (Acc. No. 1/6/278) while the other is in Ganga Golden Jubilee Museum, Bikaner (Acc. No. 203.) These figurs, belonging to mid 11th century A.D., show the four-armed goddess as standing in Tribhanga on a lotus pedestal with a small figure of swan. The goddess, benign in appearance, is bedecked with beautifully carved ornaments and Karanda mukuta. The whole composition is endowed with sedate, so beautifully expressed here. She shows the Varadaksa, a full blown lotus, a manuscript and a water-vessel. The goddess is accompanied by two female figures playing on Vina, topped by another two figures playing flute, thus revealing her musical power. What is particularly interesting about the image in Ganga Golden Jubilee Museum, Bikaner is the beautiful Prabha-torana containing the two armed figures of 16 Maha-vidyas. Some of them may be identified with Apraticakra, Vajrankusa, Kali, Rohini and Prajnapti. The figures on prabha-torana possibly suggest that Sarasvati here has been conceived as the superintending goddess of all the Great Powers (Maha vidyas).
Sarasvati, although with a differing appellation Siddhayika or Sidhayini was also conceived sometime in late ninth century A. D. as the Yaksi of Mahavira. Since all Agamic literature is basically attributed to Mahavira and, as
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