Mahavira and his Teaching

Author(s): C C Shah, Rishabhdas Ranka, Dalsukh Malvania
Publisher: Bhagwan Mahavir 2500th Nirvan Mahotsava Samiti

Page 444

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Puranas belonging to the Digambara tradition, never mention that Rṣabhanatha allowed his back hair to remain and, he also, according to those works, like other subsequent Jinas, plucked out all his hair in five handfuls.2 As against the latter tradition the images of Rṣabhanatha, from the earliest times, i.e. from Kuṣāņa period, show invariably the falling hair locks, this being noticed in the images of all the ages throughout the country.
The triple parasol decorated with festoons is supported by a stand; and the halo behind the head consists of (from centre 1. nir-lyucya bahu-mohā-gra-vallariḥ kesa-vallariḥ/
2.
MARUTI NANDAN PRASAD TIWARI
jāta-rūpa-dhāro dhiro jāini dikṣām-upā-dade//
Adipurana of Jinasena (early 9th century), 17.201.
(Ed. Pt. Pannalal Jaina, Jnanapitha Mūrtidevi Jaina Granthamālā, Sanskrit Grantha No. 8, Varanasi 1963).
Cf.
pafica-muṣṭibhir ut-khātān vidaujāh mūrdha-jān vibhoḥ/ prati-gṛhya kṛtān mūrdhni cikṣepa kṣīra-vāri-dhau//
Harivamsa Purana of Jinasena (last quarter of the 8th century),
9. 98.
(Ed. Pt. Pannalal Jaina, Joanapitha Murtidevi Jaina Granthamālā, Sanskrit Grantha No. 27, Varanasi, 1962).
alamkāraiḥ samam kttyavā vasanāni mahā-muniḥ/ cakārā sau pari-tyāgam keśānāṁ pañca-muṣṭibhiḥ// Padmapurana of Ravisena (678), 3.283. (Ed. Vol. I Pannalal Jaina, Jñanapitha Mürtidevi Jaina Granthamālā, Sanskrit Grantha No. 20, Varanasi 1958).
Shah, U. P. "Beginning of the Jaina art', unpublished paper read at the Seminar on the Jaina Art held at Lucknow on Jan. 28 and 29, 1972, p. 9. He writes, "Rṣabhanatha is further identified on account of the hair locks falling on his shoulders, for while the other Jinas plucked out all the hair, the first Jina, at the special request of Indra, allowed his back hair (falling on shoulders), to remain, as they looked very beautiful". But the Digambara tradition, as we earlier noticed, of the Jaina Purāņas and also an early Jaina work-the Paumacariya-clearly mention that Rṣabhanatha like other subsequent Jinas also plucked out all his hair in five handfuls.
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