Mahavira and his Teaching

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

Page 504

IS JAINISM AN OPPONENT OF HINDUISM? 459 of the Jainas themselves. Kubera, the lord of Yaksas and king of Alakā and the treasurer of the Devas is a popular knowledge. Brindavan therefore observes: 'The Yakşas are, in Indian tradition, regarded as the presiding spirits over wealth and therefore it is very easy to see why Jainas who represent a merchantile class specially endeared themselves to the cult and appropriated them specially among the class of their Dundhidevas or highest divinities.
In Indian sculpture the representation of Yakşas as Vyantaradevatās was the most favourite with the sculptors and was also very fascinating to the public. A host of their images are found on every site of renown. In Jaina images their association is two-fold-first as attendants to their masters, the Tirtharkaras and secondly as time passed and the Yakşa-cult obtained greater veneration among the Jainas we also find their detached independent images in the ancient ruins.
According to the Jaina belief, Indra appoints one Yaksa and one Yakşiņī to serve, as attendants, each Tīrthankara. The Yakşa would be on his right side and Yakşiņí on his left. Thus they also came to be called Sāsanadevatās or attendant spirits. According to Hemacandra, a Yaksa originates from the particular religious spirit of a Jina "TATETSTEHT" " TH" Hence we can take in all probability that the Yaksa was the leader of disciples and Yakşiņi was the first female convert. Again “as Yaksas and Yakșiqis were leader-disciples of the Jinas, they had been chosen from the rich merchantile class and some of them had represented as bankers. In actual images, we find them decorated in red jewels and characterised with the symbol of many-bags etc.'
With this introduction to this important element of Jaina iconography—the association of Yaksa-images with the Jinaimages let us briefly tabulate their vāhana-lāñchana as an essential characteristic of their images. In the following table respective vāhana-lanchanas of yakşa-yakşini find place in serial order on the authority of the two important iconographical texts—the A.P. and the V.S.: