Nirgrantha-1

Author(s): M A Dhaky, Jitendra B Shah
Publisher: Shardaben Chimanbhai Educational Research Centre

Page 79

N. P. Joshi
Nirgrantha
Saturday her younger sister Lakṣmi pays her a visit, and therefore, on that day alone one should worship the tree and enjoy permanent stay of riches with him 62.
Epilogue
60
The above discussions would show that the deep-rooted influence of the heterodox faiths on society was felt by the Puraṇas also and has been expressed in the following ways:
i.
The heterodox views were allowed to be spread in the society to misguide the powerful enemies of the Devas, specially the Daityas. Visnu had taken this responsibility upon his shoulders.
ii. This trick was played against the mortal enemies of the Devas like the sons of Rāji and King Divodása.
iii. King Vena was punished for embracing the heterodox faith and a commoner named Tuladhara was also put to test by this method.
iv. Besides Visnu, even Bṛhaspati and Śiva played the role of heterodox teachers.
Worship of the image of the Buddha, even though he was accepted as an incarnation of Visņu, was tabooed; but, if the Buddha's worship was a must and difficult to avoid, use of an image of Visņu instead was recommended.
vi. There is a close resemblance between Ṛṣabha and Śiva.
vii. Asvattha, Vata, and Paläsa trees enjoyed sanctity as representatives of Visnu, Śiva, and Brahma; but touching Asvattha on days other than Saturday was totally tabooed.
ix. References to Jainism are more in number than those to Buddhism, but perhaps to balance the wider spread and influence of Buddhism, the Buddha was accepted as an incarnation of Viṣṇu by a larger number of authorities.
x. Perhaps to meet this very situation in the realm of icons, some of the sculptors adopted a different course. Iconographical canons often describe composite figures of deities like Hari-Hara-Pitämaha, Hari-Har-Arka, Hari-Hara-Sürya-Pitämaha, Brahmeśānärka, etc. On the same pattern some of the sculptors of Bengal made composite images of Sürya-Lokeśvara and Hari-Hara-Buddha. Such examples are of course very rare, but no figure of Visnu or Śiva-Rṣabha, or for that matter any other Tirthankara has yet been reported.