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Homage to Bahubali*
JOSE PEREIRA
The meditating Bahubali is in every way qualified to attract the artist. He was an extraordinarily handsome young man, 1 a "god of love" (kāmadeva), and “beautiful without ornaments”.2 A nude body like his would thus have for Jain sculptors the allure that the figure of St. Sebastian has for the Christian. The creepers provided an opportunity for covering it with pattern and arabesque, thus to contrast the
* Text on Bahubali : . (1) Jinasena, Mahapurana, Pannalal Jajn (ed.), Mahapurana....of Bhagavat Jina
senacarya (Jnanapitha Murtidevi Jaina Granthamala, Sanskrita Grantha, no. 8), Kashi : Bharatiya Jnanapitha, 1951, 2 parts (Adi and Uttara Puranas); the Bahu
bali text, occurs in Uttarapurana, parvas 35-36, esp. 36, pp. 200-220. (2) Puspadanta, Mahapurana, sandhi XVIII, vol I, pp. 295-305, P.L. Vaidya (ed.),
the Mahapurana or Tisatthimahapurisagunalamkara (A Jaina Epic in Apabhransa of the 10th century) of Puspadanta (Manikchand Digambara Jaina Granthamala, nos, 37, 41, and 42) Bombay : Manikchand Digambara Jaina Granthamala,
3 vols., vol, 1 (1937), vol. 2 (1940), vol. 3 (1941). (3) Svayambhudeva, Paumacariya, sandhi 4. Harivallabh C. Bhayani (ed): Pauma
cariya of Kaviraja Svayambhudeva (Singhi Jain Series, 34), Bombay : Singhi Jain Sastra Shikshapith, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan 1953-1960, 3 vols, ; vol. 1,
(1953), vol. 2 (1953), vol. 3 (1960). (4) Hemacandra, Trisastisalakapurusacaritra, Johnsons' transl. bk. 1, ch. V, W,
519-798, pp. 308-326. (5) Boppana Pandita, in Epigraphia Carnatica (revised by Narasimhachar) II, Inscrip
tions at Sravana Belgola (Revised Edition, Bangalore 1923), pp. 97-100 (original in Kannada). The following are texts to which I have not been able to refer : Vasudevahindi ; Avasyaka Niryukti 322 ; Haribhadra's Avasyaaka Vrtti on Avasyaka Niryaukti ; Avasyaka Curni ; and Doddaiyya's Bhujabalisataka. The following are Kannada works; Pancabana, Bhujabalicarita ; Anantakavi, Gommatesvaracarita ; Devacandra, Rajavalikatha and the Sthalapurana of Shravana Belgola. Some of these references have been got from U. P. Shah, “Bahubali: A Unique Bronze in the Museum", Bulletin of the Prince of Wales Museum of Western India, no. 4 (1953-1954), pp. 32-39. Or Gomata, from the Konkani gomto : adhar konkani aur marathi ka udgam kramasah ardhmagadhi aur maharastri prakrt se prakat hai aur yaha vidit hai ki marathi, konkani evam kannad bhasaon ka sabd vinimay pahale hota rahata tha ; kyonki in bhasabhasi deson ke logon ka parasparik sambhandh vises tha, ab konkani bhasa me ek sabd gomato ya gommato milta hai aur yaha sanskrtke manmatha sabd ka rupantar hai aur adyapi 'sundar' arth me vyavahrt hai. konkoni bhasa ka yaha sabd marathi bhasa me panhuc kar kannad bhasamen praves kar gaya ho to koi ascarya nahi. M. Govind Pai, 'Sri Bahubali-ki Murti Gommat Kyon Kahalati Hai ?', Jaina
Antiquary, vol. IV-2 (1917), p. 108. · The word Gomato, in Konkani, means "beautiful, handsome".
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