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Tirthamkaras
45
“Before his birth, his mother (the wife of the Rajput King of Candrapuri)' longed to drink the moon (Candra). To assuage her craving, a plate of water was one night handed to her in such a way that the moon was reflected in it; when the child was born, he was found to be as bright and white as the moon, which accordingly became his emblem, and he was called Candraprabha."'? With such lunar association in life, one needs hardly any explanation to understand why the moon or the crescent became his essential symbol, we may also note in this connection that one of the dreams of the Jina's mothers is about the moon.
Suvidhinātha
Suvidhinātha has two names given to him, another being Puşpadanta. There is a dispute over his emblem. Some say, it is a dolphin (Makara); others dcclare it is a crab. His Yaksa and Yaksiņi are narned Ajita and Sutāri Devi (Dig. Mahākāli) respectively. The chowri-bearer has the name of Maghavatarāja. The religious tree under which he attained the hevala knowledge is the Nāga according to some authoritics,: Malli according to other authorities.
From patriarchical history, we gather his native place was called Kākandinagara. His father was the ruling prince by the name of Sugrīva and his mother was named Rāmā,' his place of Nirvāṇa was Sameta-Sikhara or Mount Pārasnātha.
A separate sculpture of Suvidhinātha is not yet known to the author. The Jina, of course, appears with the other 23 Tirtharkaras in a group. The sculpture, there is little doubt to say, must when discovered exhibit all the important iconographic details described above. The point of interest will be that some sculptures will bear the symbol of a crab.
1. In thc Benares district, also called Candravati. 2. Heart of Jainism, p. 53. Cf. TT T T Sout: 4FGYTECTECTS fafa
TESTI: 1 3. FargutyaTA:
Y R ITY: | Ullara p. 8.. 4. द्वीपेऽस्मिन् भारते क्षेत्र काकन्दीनगराधिपः ।
mutatsen helaet 14 stafa 37497 11 Ibid.
