Book Title: Manuscript Illustrations Of Uttaradhyayana Sutra
Author(s): W Norman Brown
Publisher: American Oriental Society

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Page 111
________________ 51 LIVING CREATURES AND THINGS WITHOUT LIFE Only two manuscripts have illustrations that refer to passages in the chapter. DV (fig. 146) has Mahāvira preaching to a monk. JP (fig. 144) has a painting which shows the four kinds of beings with five senses, namely, hell denizens, animals, and gods (stanza 156). In the lower panel, at the right, are two hell denizens leaning over with their heads in pots. This is a cliché representation of creatures in hell, occuring in numerous manuscripts of the Samgrahaņi Sūtra, and in other manuscripts and on manuscript covers. In the same panel sits a human being, evidently a king; for he holds a scepter in his right hand; the object in the other hand I cannot identify. Above him, in the upper panel, are an elephant and a horse to represent the animal kingdom, and beside them is a four-armed god on his throne, faced by a male in reverent attitude. The god has an elephant goad in his upper left hand, and is therefore Sakra (Indra) used to typify the whole class. The illustration in JM (fig. 139) at the beginning of this chapter belongs with Chapter 34 (see above); and the illustration in HV (fig. 145) really deals with a colophon subject (see below). COLOPHON The manuscripts contain cliché colophon scenes, of which a common one is Mahāvira preaching to his four-fold congregation. DV (fig. 149) has as audience a monk, to represent both monks and nuns, and four laymen, to represent both laymen and lay women. HV (fig. 145), which has the illustration at the beginning of Chapter 36, has Mahāvira in the upper register, and facing him a nun; in the middle register are four laymen, and in the bottom register four lay women. JP (fig. 147) has facing Mahāvira, in three sets, a monk and a layman, two laymen, and two nuns. Above Mahāvira, as though in the air, are two creatures with tiaras, who may be taken for gods come to listen. JM (fig. 148) has two laymen and a monk as audience. This type of scene may be found elsewhere; cf. BrKS figs. 150, 151. In its final picture DV (fig. 150) again has Mahāvīra preaching, this time with a male standing before him while holding out an offering; above, as though sitting in the air, is another male figure, perhaps a god. 1 Cf. also our figs. 69, 72 (to Chapter 19).

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