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JAIN JOURNAL
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The motif that recalls the theme of Bahubali. A Seal from Mohenjo-daro
was like a perfectly beautiful man. He was beautiful because his body confirmed to certain laws of proportion and so partook of the divine beauty of mathematics. The first great philosopher of mathematical harmony had called himself Pythagoras, son of the Pythian Apollo. So in the embodiment of Apollo everthing must be calm and clear ; clear as daylight, for Apollo is the god of justice ; sol justitiae." (The Nude-A study of Ideal Art, p. 26) Obviously, the stiffness of the Attic kouros or Apollo of 6th century B.C. does indicate a discipline in conformity with the ancient Greek ideal of truth and the quantum of harmony that can only define the majesty of soul. Thus, here again we are confronted with a kind of discipline which will recall despite differences in the position of legs and in other aspects the kāyotsarga attitude of the Jaina Tirthankaras of the past. A somewhat comparable pose has again been noticed in the art of the Indus Valley by eminent scholars. U. P. Shah, the well-known exponent of Jainism, has already shown affinity between the Mauryan torso from Lohanipur (Patna) and the famous torso from Harappa. Further it is also difficult to disagree that certain terracotta figures from Mohenjo-daro also convey the feelings of personal determination of the kāyotsarga forms. As U. P. Shah points out, “A very old bronze of Parsvanatha standing in the kāyotsarga-pose, with the right hand and a part of the snake-hoods overhead mutilated, exists in the collections of the Prince of Wales Museum, Bombay. Its pedestal is missing, and unfortunately there is no record of its original findspot. It bears close affinity in style with a terracotta figurine from Mohenjo-daro. The limbs
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