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Tirthamkaras
43
His symbolism is just expressive of the same fact. The name of Yakşa attendant Kusuma connected with him irans ü flower and lends support to the very idea.
Supārsvanātha
He has, according to the canon, the emblem of the mystic cross called the Svostika. Books give him the additional synıbolic decorations of serpents. There is some regularity with regard to the number of the hoods of the serpents. The number must be either one or five or nine. His evala trce is Sirişa (farsit).
The attendant spirits serving him are mālanga and Sānti (Dig. Varanandi and Kāli). The name of the bearer of the fly-fan is Dharmavīrya.
Now, the Purāņas give the historical news that he was the son of a Kșatriya ruling prince named Supratiştha. The mother was Queen Pșthivi by name. His birth-place and kingdom was Banares and Kāsi.Unlike the other earlier Tīrthamkara, he attained Mokșa with only five hundred companions.
The representation of Supār: vanātha in art may either be seen in a group or single. Either of these representations fulfils the condition laid down by the canons. The most important point regarding Supārsvanātha's image is the five-fold serpenthood as distinguished from the usual seven-fold serpent-hood of Pārs vanātha.4 Disregard or ignorance of this point has led to many wrong identifications. For instance, in the Catalogue of the Mathura Museum, Dr. Vogel has in several instances, written without being sure "a Jina, either Supārsva or Pārsvanātha”. Again, the statue No. B 62 has been wrongly identified as Jina Pārsvanātha. It is, in fact, the figure of Supār vanātha. The image also shows another cognizance of the Jina, namely, 1. ET QU 79 T H TT (594:959 79 795051:, 4913 ATT for 1)
Sattvasaroddhāra, 43 Dvāra. 2. सुपावो मौनमास्थाय च्छामस्थे नववर्षकः । ____ सहेतुकवने मूले शिरीषस्य द्व युपोषितः ।।
Uttarafurāņa. 3. g cnererat arcureat het afa: 1
Ceritcaferataron a 97 RETT TETEO II Ibid. 4. Cunningham: Arch. Surr. Rep. Vol. XIX, p. 6. 5. Prof. Dr. Vogel: Cat. Arch: Mus. Mathura, p. 73.
