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80 : Śramaņa, Vol 62, No. 4, Oct.-Dec. 2011 The reverence for peace and purity was uppermost in the Jaina consciousness, so much so that only the highest point of spiritual attainment was sought to be reflected in art. Among these spiritual goals is the state of aparigraha, with its various nuances of 'freedom from attachment', both internal and external. The poetics of Jaina concepts, woven into the attitudes, gestures and postures of the images, brought forth multiple layers of meaning in a visual language of symbols. The subject chosen was depicted in the human form -- whether legend, deity or sage. However, the person was revered for the quality epitomized rather than his historical or social role. Thus, the inspiration quality of a Jina was his invincibility as the soul of perfection. Other qualities and states of being worthy of attainment were: of vītarāgi, free from desire and passion; nirgantha, free from knots of bondage; the posture of kāyotsarga, the erect figure in the attitude of dismissing the body; the figure seated cross-legged in dhyāna mudrā, indicating deep meditation; and finally the absolute aparigraha of the sky-clad- Digambara, the naked soul.
Of course, the subject most often chosen by the artist to project the wholeness of his inspiration was one of the twenty-four Jinas. The other main legendary subjects were -- Bāhubalī, the son of the first Jina Rşabhanātha, the personification of endurance; and Bharatamuni, the prince who is worshipped not as cakravartin or emperor, but as muni. Besides these, there were also the images and paintings depicting ascetics and holy mendicants -- acāryas, sādhus and sādhvīs. The subject of art always remained close to the popular imagination and art sought to enhance it with the artistic experience it offered, taking great care to acknowledge the perfection of the ideals projected. In the present paper I shall restrict my discussion of aparigraha as manifested in art to the three main subjects of the sculptures: the Jinas, Bāhubali and Bharatamuni.
