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Jaina Sarasvati has also some bearing of Brahminic Saraswati which is conceived as the consort both of Brahma and Vishnu This closeness can be established on account of their common attributes, like Pustaka, Vina, Aksamala,Kamandalu, Srul, Ankusa and Paşa The Acaradınakara (A D 1412) however, envisaged the same sets of symbols for Srutadevata and Brahmani The four-armed Brahmanı here is visualized like Sarasvati as riding on Hamsa and holding Vina, Pustaha, Padma and Aksamala The rendering of Sruk with Sarasvati although never prescribed by any Jaina text is noticed in good number of Jaina Sarasvati figures which happens to be an invariate feature of Brahma
The early Jaina works conceive Sarasvati only with two hands and as holding cither a book and a lotus or a water-Vessel and a rosary, and riding a swan The Saraswati-yantra-puja of Subhacandra, however, describes the two armed Mayura-vahini with three eyes and holding a rosary and a book The four-armed Sarasvati appears to have enjoyed the highest veneration among both the Svetambara and Digambara sects The four-armed goddess in both the sects bcar almost identical attributes, except for the Vahana Svetambara works invariably conceive her with Varda-mudra, a lotus, a manuscript and a rosary The SarasvatiLalpa of Bappabhatti Suri (10th-11th century AD) however, gives two sets of symbols for four-armed Saraswati the first showing her with Abhaya Mudra Varada-Mudra, a Pustaka and a lotus while in other the Abhaya and VaradaMudra have been replaced by a Vina and a rosary TheBharati-Kalpa of Mallisena (11th century A D) renders the Dhyana of goddess showing Abhaya-mudra, Jnana-mudra rosary and manuscript It was only sometime after 9th century AD that Srutadevata became the goddess of music as well and was consqucntly provided with a Vina, replacing the Varada-mudra As she became the goddess of music, peacock, symbolic of dance and music, was associated with her The Jainendrakalyanabhyudaya refers to Sarasvati as holding a Pasa in place of Vina According to the Nirvanakalıka of Padalipta Suri (III) (A D 900), Sarasvati bears a book, a rosary, a lotus, the Varada-mudra and various other symbols in her numerous hands
The carlicst representation of Sarasvati is known from Mathura (A D 132 or 149) The two-armed goddess, seated squatted on rectangular pedastal, holds a manuscript in her left hand while her mutilated right hand was in the Abhayaksa The Hamsa Vahana is not carved in the present instance Deogarh (Lalitpur UP) a prolific Digambara Jaina site, has yielded a number of independent figures of Sarasvati, datable between 9th to 12th century AD Sarasvati in Deogarh, riding either a swan or a peacock, has been represented with two or four arms The rendering of Sarasvati twice in the group of 24 Yaksis is particularly interesting These figures, carved on the facade of temple No 12 (A D, 862) at Deogarh, represent her as Yaksi respectively of Jina Abhinandana and Jina Suparsvanatha with the labelling Bhagavatı Sarasvati and Mayuravahini
I and Mayumandana and 3.002) at Deogarh
