Manuscript Illustrations Of Uttaradhyayana Sutra

Author(s): W Norman Brown
Publisher: American Oriental Society

Page 20

THE DISCIPLINE OF MONKS had only his robes as clothing; but the modern Jains explain the costume as being purely symbolic. The Jina, they say, is in this case, as also when in the region of the perfected souls after death, incorporeal and therefore every sort of material form is inapplicable to him. But to give some kind of apprehendable representation for human beings he is shown in the form of a glorious king. The significance of the Samavasaraña scene in these paintings seems to be that the Uttarādhyayana itself is considered to have been preached by Mahāvīra. Since the painting of HV (fig. 2) is incontestably that of a Samavasarana, and since the figure of Mahāvira in it corresponds with the figures in DV (fig. 3) and JM (fig. 1), I believe that all three represent Mahāvīra at that time; the difference between them is that in DV and JM the omission of the walls of the Samavasarana leaves the artist room to show Mahāvira's throne in detail and to add the attendants.
The folio of DV (fig. 3) is fully ornamented around the margins, and in this, the first of the manuscript, shows on the sides four heavenly musicians, of the type which is human from the waist up but of bird's form from the waist down." Those in the upper corners are blowing trumpets, that in the lower right is playing a flute, and that in the lower left seems to be singing.
The second painting of JM (fig. 4) for this chapter and the lower register of the painting in HV (fig. 2) contain other subjects. The upper register of the JM illustration (fig. 4) shows Mahāvīra in monk's garb seated full face in his shrine (vimāna), left hand lying in his lap turned up and the right hand holding a rosary before him. This is a characteristic manner of showing a Jain monk as leader of a school (cf. BrKS figs. 130-132). He is flanked by two attendant monks in postures of reverence. In the lower register of the same illustration Mahāvīra is seated as a monk, this time with the spire of his shrine shown small and tilted back (cf. BrKK 128) while he preaches to a disciple, presumably Sudharman, who was his first. Between the two is the sthāpanācārya, representation of a monk's absent spiritual master (cf. BrKK 128). It may be assumed that the subject of Mahāvira's discourse is the first chapter of the Uttarādhyayana Sūtra.
The lower part of the HV painting (fig. 2) illustrates verses 4-6 of the chapter: "As a bitch with running ears is driven away from everywhere, so a disobedient, subversive, talkative (disciple] is driven away. A pig will leave a milk porridge to eat faeces; so a disobedient (disciple) will leave virtue to savor the false. Hearing a man compared to a dog and a pig, one who wishes his own welfare will devote himself to discipline." In the painting a man dressed in loin cloth is flourishing two sticks with which he is driving away a dog; behind the man is a razor-backed hog, presumably eating faeces. Two monks stand watching. Although it might be expected that the dog would be running off with its tail between its legs, it actually is trotting along in the jauntiest fashion; the explanation is that this pose is a cliché for a dog, no matter what the circumstances (cf. BIKS fig. 75b).
1 The Buddha is also frequently represented as crowned; see P. Mus, "Le Buddha paré: son origine indienne," BEFEO, vol. 28, 1928.
In Hindu iconography such hybrid heavenly musicians are sometimes called kimpurusa or kimnara or bhārunda; see G. Jouveau-Dubreuil, Archéologie du Sud de l'Inde, Tome II, Iconographie (Annales du Musée Guimet, Tome 27), translated by A. C. Martin, Iconography of Southern India (Paris, P. Geuthner, 1937), p. 110; E. W. Hopkins, Epic Mythology (Grund. d. indo-iran. Phil. III. 1. B, 1915), p. 20; W. N. Brown, A Pillared Hall from Madura (Philadelphia, 1940), p. 61.