Manuscript Illustrations Of Uttaradhyayana Sutra

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

Page 68

21. THE STORY OF SAMUDRAPĀLA The chapter tells first of the merchant Pālita, a pious Jain layman, who once went by boat from his native city Campā to Pihunda. There another merchant gave him a daughter to wife. When she was big with child, Palita sailed for home with her, and while they were on the ocean (samudra) she gave birth. The child was named Samudrapāla. The boy grew up in Campā, surrounded with all luxury, and in proper time mastered the seventy-two polite accomplishments (kalā), learned worldly wisdom (niti), and duly married a charming wife, with whom he amused himself like a god. One day from his mansion window he saw a man clothed in the garments of death and being led to execution. Agitated by the sight, Samudrapāla said, “This is the bad event of evil actions!" He then became enlightened and left the world to be a monk. The remainder of the chapter is a sermon on the duties of monks.
The painting of JM (fig. 78) shows two scenes. At the top is the birth. The mother, elaborately clothed, is lying on a bed, one of her legs stretched out, the other with knee bent, holding the infant in the hollow of her right arm. All around is the ocean, shown by the conventional chevron pattern used for water. In the lower scene is a king, umbrella over his head, lotus in his left hand, seated on his throne giving judgment. Before him is the criminal, his hands bound and held back by the executioner with his left hand, who stands behind the condemned man and grasps his hair with his other hand. An umbrella, smaller than the king's, appears over the victim's head, suggesting that he also is a king. The commentary offers no light on this point, but if the condemned man is a king the story would have an enhanced moral; for the descent from royal power to ignominious death would emphasize the impermanence of good fortune under the effect of wicked conduct.
HV (fig. 79) has the same two subjects in its painting, although in the birth scene there are no cross-hatched lines to represent water, and in the condemnation scene the victim has no umbrella over his head.
DV (fig. 80) gives only the birth scene. The mother sits in a reclining posture, rather than lies down. Water is round about, indicated in the conventional manner, this time with fish swimming in it and at the lower left hand corner is what appears to be some kind of sea monster with an elephant-like head. To fill out an empty corner the artist has improved upon ocean scenery by adding a tree. In the side margins of the page are four male figures with hands lifted in reverence.
JP has two paintings (figs. 81, 82), each with two scenes, but the sequence of the four is jumbled. The top of the second painting (fig. 82) shows the birth scene. On an ocean-no crossed lines-where swim fish that are indicated in outline, moves the boat with sail set and pennant flying, its entire interior occupied by the mother, who lies out straight, not in the posture characteristic of the early western Indian style. In the upper
1 Cliché birth scene; cf. BrKS figs. 58, 59, 90, 91, 103, 104, 118, 119. 2 Cliché scene; cf. BrKK figs. 17, 24.
* The illustrator of this manuscript was not very careful about presenting his paintings in strict logical sequence; see the note to Chapter 20.
30