Studies in Jaina Art

Author(s): Umakant P Shah
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

Page 64

A BRIEF SURVEY OF JAINA ART IN THE NORTH
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text itself. The Antagadadasão Sutta refers to a shrine of Mudgarapāņi-yakşa at Rājagrha. The stock description of such Caityas is the description of the Pūrņabhadra Caitya given in the Aupapātika Sūtra. And in this description itself, the Pārnabhadra-Caitya is described as कल्लाणं मंगल देवयं चेइयं विशए पज्जुवासणिज्जो। Abhayadeva, the commentator, explains this as per yea:,
fayfaža:. aa-aa: # gaanfaat.....I p. 4).
We are here reminded of those passages from the Arthaśāstra (discussed above) which use an identical expression datei, as also
and help us to arrive at a correct understanding of the devayam ceiyan of the Jaina Anga texts. ai goes with and the expression should be understood as referring to a sanctuary dedicated to a god or a spirit, the teacan meaning the god in a caitya.
Viewed in this light, the passage of the Áśvalāyana Gșhya Sūtra referring to Caitya-yajña and enjoining a bali to caitya would be taken to refer to a shrine dedicated to some devatā to which an offering was to be offered. The Jaina references are from works later than the Gpbya Sūtra but they refer to conditions already existing in the age of Mahāvīra and we need not doubt the validity of the Jaina statements when other known evidences do not contradict. them.
The archaeological evidences of Yakşa statues dating from the Mauryan age ( e. g. the Didārganj yakși ) would show the existence of Daivata Caityas and Caitya Devatās in the Mauryan age. The Pūrnabhadra Caitya described in the Jaina Aupapātika Sūtra is called Porāna and Cirātīta, old, ancient and well-renowned. Mahāvira stayed in this Caitya, which was already porāņa and cirātīta in his age.1
We have also seen that the Buddhists used Cetiya in the sense of a hallow and cult-object. But Cetiya also denoted a stūpa and as noted by Dikshitar Cetiya is similarly used in the Tamil language also. A question arises: Was this term Caitya or Cetiya adopted from the Dravidians and other races by the Aryans or was it originally Aryan ?
The original etymological sense seems to be of something piled up-from
1 The Pţthvi-sila-patta in the shrine is described as shining like a mirror and soft to touch like butter. Evidently it had a highly polished surface. If it was a terracotta plaque, as the prefix Pộthvi would suggest, then it was technically like the N. B. P. Ware which can now be dated from c. 6th century B. C. Thus Pūrṇabhadra Caitya was indeed porāna and cirätita. Cf. Shah, U. P., So-called Mauryan Polish in Jain Literature, Journ of the M. S. University of Baroda, June 1955.