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Jain Thought and Culture
ever, all these aspects of its personality paved the ground for the development of a cult around it Its devotees were called as Hattivatika.63 This cult had come down from the remote past Here mention may be made the of elephant-headed God Ganesa Ganesa's affiliation was at first sought mainly with those of the cult deities like Sıva who had non-Aryan traits in their composition Therefore, it appeurs that basically elephant cult or worship of an elephant headed God would have been non-Vedic and that Jains, like the Buddhists, borrowed some elements of this cult and incorporated them in their religious system and art tradition 64
The second object of the dream was a white Bull This animal is known in this country from a very early date 65 Two of its type-Brahmı or humped and short-horned are represented on a large number of seals found from Harappa, Mohenjodaro and other sities 66 Because of its great strength it became a symbol of fertility in the early religions In Vedic age bull played an important role in the socio-economic structure of the Aryan society for Vedic seers it became the symbol of power They concieved it as an image of male strength and attributed the epithet Vrsabha to many of their gods 67 Indra as a vigorous bull by his virile power overpowers both the worlds 68 The bull-Indra kills the Vrtra 69 Even the chariot and horses of Indru are said to be bull like 70 In the post-Vedic age, the Puranic authors made it the mount of Sıva or Vrsadhvaja 71 In Samhitas it was Rudra, not Siva, who is called Vrsa or Vrsabha
63, See, Ayagapatta preserved in Lucknow Museum, which shows elephant dhvaja on the right hand panel (Guide to Lucknow Museum, p 2, fig 6, Smith, V, Jain Stupa, pl VII, p 14) 64 Bhagavadgita, Ch X (Vibhutiyoga) Mahanıddesa, 1, p 89 and 310-te hatthivatika honti See also, Susema Jataka (No 163 of Cowell's The latakas) 65 In the opinion of Mackay the original habitant of humped bull was India From here it was introduced at a very early date to Elam from where it nade way to Egypt via Syria and Anatolia Further Excavation at Mohenjodaro, Vol I, p 288) 66 Marshall, J, Mohenjodaro and Indus Valley Civilization, Vol III, pls CX-CXI. Indian Archaeology, A Review, Vol 60-61, Cf Lalitakala, Vol X, Mackay, E, FEM, Vol II, pl LXXXV, 123 67 Macdonell Vedic Mythology, p 150 fn 1, SB, V 313, AV, IX 49 68 RV, I, 54 2 69 Ibid, IV 178 70 lbid, I 1773 71 See, Yaduvanshi, Salvamata, p 64
