Mahavira Jain Vidyalay Suvarna Mahotsav Granth Part 1

Author(s): Mahavir Jain Vidyalaya Mumbai
Publisher: Mahavir Jain Vidyalay

Page 897

398 : SHRI MAHAVIRA JAINA VIDYALAYA GOLDEN JUBILEE VOLUME
himself down from a rock and reborn as a four-armed god of the Vyantara class shown standing on one side.
The text further states that the hermits living on the roots and fruits are born amongst the jyotiskas (astral bodies). This is represented in the second compartment, lower panel, folio 19 B, where a hermit is shown, with the sun, the moon and the stars next to him.
The Caraka-parivrājakas, an ancient class of Hindu monks, are said to attain the Brahmaloka heaven of Jaina cosmography. In the third compartment of above is shown a Caraka-parivrăjaka, carrying a staff and a water-pot. In the upper panel of folio 20 A, we find in the first compartment on the right, a four-armed god, symbolizing the gods of Brahmaloka.
The text further says that animals dying with good intention, attain the Sahasrara heaven. In the second compartment (folio 20 A upper panel), we find a bull, a horse and an elephant symbolising the animal world. The four-handed Sahasrära-god is seen in the next compartment. In the last compartment of the panel, we find a Jina being worshipped by a lady, followed by three Jaina laymen. These laymen are supposed to attain the Acyuta-deva-loka which is symbolised by four-armed god in the lower panel, on the right side.
Those Jaina monks who don the monk's dress, yet do not perfectly follow the tenets or laws, attain the ninth Graiveyaka heaven of the Jaina cosmography. It is represented in the next compartment where a Jaina monk and a four-armed god are represented. In the following compartment is represented a Ganadhara and next to him is another four-armed god. Such monks, who are adept in the Jaina Canonical texts, e.g., the Pūrvadharas, Pratyeka-Buddhas, Ganadharas and so on, attain the Sarvärthasiddhi-Vimāna, the highest heaven of the Jainas. The four-armed god beside the Gañadhara represents the god of this heaven.
In the last compartment the remaining space has been utilised by representing a crescent-shaped Siddha-śilā to which the perfect souls, breaking all worldly bondages, retire. In the painting, the Tirthankaras of various complexions are shown sitting in Padmāsana. The space above and below the crescent-shaped Siddha-śilā, is carmine ground on which the following inscription in gold appeears : sft faff#: ferear sft sillas nft yaraf meaning that (this manuscript) was made to be written by Sri Dharmamūrtisūri (and was copied by) Śrī Gananidhānasūri of Sri Añcalagaccha.