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Jaina Iconography-A Brief Survey
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The dhyanas of this goddess mostly describe a two-armed, a four-armed or a multi-armed form. In art, however, we also find six-armed and eight-armed varieties of Sarasvati images. She is white in complexion and rests on a lotus seat. When twoarmed, she carries the lotus and the book.
The Vajra-Sarada of the Buddhists holds the same symbols; the Sita-Prajnaparamita of the Buddhists does the same. Prajnaparamita, the embodiment of Mahayana Scripture of the same name, symbolised knowledge,
Munisundar suri (15th century A.D.) describes Sarasvati as holding the vina and the book in her two hands and riding the swan. A sculpture on a pillar in the famous big Jaisa temple at Ranakpur shows Sarasvati standing and playing on the vina with both the hands. The swan vehicle is shown near her right foot.
The Buddhist Vajravina-Sarasvati also holds the vina with both the hands. In Hindu Iconography, Sarasvati and Laksmi are shown accompanying Visnu as his consorts. In such cases, Sarasvati carries the vina with both hands. Even when she is replaced by Pusti, Pusti also carries the vina with two hands.
According to the Digambara writer S'uvhacandra, Sarasvati has the peacockvahana and holds the rosary and the book in her two hands.
In the Sarasvati-kalpa ascribed to the S've writer Bappabhatti suri (c. 8th century A. D.), Sarasvati is invoked as white in complexion and four-armed, carrying the vina, the book, the rosary of pearls, and the white lotus. In this variety, she has the swan as her vahana.
Bappabhatti gives one more form of Vagdevi showing the varada, the abhaya, the book and the lotus.
According to the Digambara writer Ekasamdhi, Vani is white, sits on the lotus, and shows the joana mudra, the rosary, the abhaya and the book in her four hands. Mallisena and Arhaddasa (both Digambara) describe the same form and add that she has the peacock as her vahana. Pandit Asadhara (Digambara) refers to her peacock vehicle but does not describe her symbols.
Two sculptures of six-armed variety of Sarasvati are known from Luna Vasahi, Abu, one with almost all symbols mutilated and another showing the lotus in two upper hands, the Jnana mudra with two middle ones, and holding the rosary and thc kamandalu in the two lower hands. The swan is shown as her vahana.
An eight-armed form of a dancing Sarasvati is identified on the west wall of the S've. Jaina temple of Ajitanatha at Taranga (North Gujarat). Here the goddess shows the book, the rosary and the varada mudra in three right hands, and the lotus and the varada in three left ones Symbols of the remaining two hands are mutilated.
A large variety of Sarasvati is known from literature and art. This shows the great popularity of this apcient goddess amongst the Jainas.
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