________________
Four More Popular Yakṣinis
On the outer wall of the sanctum of Kharatara Vasahi, Delvaḍā, Abu, is a figure of Siddhāyikā in a sitting posture and carrying the viņa and the book in the right and the left upper hands and showing the fruit and the abhaya mudra in the corresponding lower ones. The tiger is shown as her vahana (see Fig. 102 in this book).
A painted figure of the Yaksi with the label Sri Siddhāyikā Sāsanadevata is found on a cloth painting of Vardhamana-Vidya-Pata, assignable to c. fifteenth century, published by U.P. Shah.309 Yellow in complexion, Siddhāyikā holds the lotus-stalk with her right lower hand, and shows the varada mudrā with the right upper one. Her left upper hand carries the goad while the lower one, partly defaced, shows the pravacana mudra. A miniature drawing of her lion vehicle is visible below her right foot tucked up. The goddess sits in the lalitasana on a big cushion.
B. SIDDHAYIKĀ, APARĀJITĀ AND KAMACANDALINI (Digambara)
The yakşini of Vardhamana is known variously as Siddhayikā, Aparajita or Kamacaṇḍāli in the Digambara traditions. Of these, the first is the most popular designation while the other two are wellnigh forgotten. The yakși is called Kamacaṇḍāli in only one work, namely, the Vidyānusāsana. Puspadanta, in his Mahapuraṇa,310 addresses her as Siddhayini, but does not detail her iconographic symbols.
285
The goddess is found worshipped in two principal varieties of form--the two-armed and the twelvearmed. As Kamacaṇḍāli, she is described as having four arms.
APARAJITA
Of the two-armed forms of the yakși of Mahavira, the form known as Aparajita requires to be differentiated from the other two-armed forms when she is called Siddhayikā. Firstly, Aparăjită represents the oldest known form of the yakşı of Mahavira.311 Secondly, Aparajitā seems to represent a wholly different tradition and is not a variety of Siddhayikā. Though no dhyana for Aparajita is forthcoming, the Jaina temple no. 12 at Devgadh furnishes an interesting form of the goddess. The slab representing Aparajita has the label "Vardhamanasya" on one side and "Aparajita" below the figure of the yakṣi (see Fig. 95 in this book). Thus, in earlier Digambara traditions, the yakşi of Vardhamana was known as Aparajita and not as Siddhayika. It should also be remembered that the group of yakṣiņis found in this temple represents perhaps the oldest known labelled Digambara set hitherto discovered in North India; the seven yakṣis in the Orissan Navamuni Cave probably date from late ninth century but unfortunately they are not labelled. In Devgadh temple 12, Aparajita is represented standing with her right hand in the kataka pose and the left one carrying the fly-whisk.311"
Curiously enough, we find Aparajita in the list of the Jaya group discussed elsewhere by us.312 The four goddesses Jaya, Vijaya, Ajitä and Aparajita of the group are invoked in the famous VardhamanaVidya,313 a Tantric charm related to the worship of Vardhamana as its name would suggest. The antiquity of the Vardhamana-Vidya is attested by the Mahaniśitha sūtra and by the tradition that it was first composed by Gautama swami, the first disciple of Mahavira.314 No wonder, therefore, if Aparajitā obtained the first chance of being the yakṣiņi of Vardhamana. It will also be advisable to take her as an independent deity and not a variety of form of Siddhayikā. We have no evidence to ascertain whether the Aparajita of Mahavira's age had the same form as that on Devgadh temple no. 12 or not.
SIDDHAYIKA
1. Two-Armed Variety
Vasunandi says that Siddhayika is golden in complexion and has two arms showing the varada and book. The yakși sits on the bhadrasana,315 Asadhara Pandita gives the same form and adds that the
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
