Studies in Jaina Art

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

Page 80

SYMBOL WORSHIP IN JAINISM
67
Caitya-tree, which has been a sacred-tree, on account of a stone dais or platform built round it, for worship of some spirits or gods, who were supposed to have been associated with such trees. As suggested by Dr. Coomaraswamy, "most of the Yakkhacetiya referred to in Buddhist and Jaina literature may have been sacred trees! In this connection a very definite evidence is obtained from the Vasudevahiņdi of Samghadāsa gani Vācaka, assignable to a period not later than the fifth century A.D., and probably dating from c. 350-450 A.D. According to this text, there was an udyāna called Manorama in Saliggāma in the Magadha Janapada. Therein was the Jakkha Sumano, whose stone-plaque or platform (sila = śila) was placed there under an aśoka tree, the silā was known as Sumană. There the people worshipped this Yak$3,2 A certain person, Satya by name, is further said to have spent a night in meditation in this area of the Sumarasilā, standing in the kāyotsarga pose, in order to propitiate the Yakşa. It seems that silā is here used in the sense of a plaque or a relief deposited under the aśoka tree, on a platform (sila paesa of Vasudevahindi, p. 88) where Satya could stand in meditation before the silā of the Yakşa.
The description of the Pūrņabhadra Caitya is the stock description of a Caitya for all Jaina canons; here, according to Dr. Coomaraswamy, is a development of a Yakşa-Caitya, the original simple worship under a tree takes the form of some building. But this Caitya was in the midst of a vanakhanda ( forest-grove) in the centre of which was a big Asoka tree round which were many other trees, all with various types of creepers (lată) entwined on them. The description that follows is noteworthy :
तस्स सां असोगवरपायवस्स उवरि बहवे अट्ठ अट्ठ मङ्गलगा पराणत्ता तं जहा-सोस्थिय, सिरिवच्छ, नन्दियावत्त वद्धमाणग, भदासण, कलस, मच्छ, दप्पण सव्वरयणामया अच्छा सराहा लण्हा घट्टा मट्ठा णीरया निम्मला..अभिरूवा पडिरूवा.
तस्स ण असोगवरपायवस्स उवरिं बहवे किएहचामरज्मया...अच्छा सरहा लण्हा रुप्पपट्टा वइरामयदएडा जालयामलगन्धिया मुरम्मा पासादिया दरिसणिज्जा अभिरूवा पडिरूवा...तस्स रणं असोगवरपायवस्स उवरि बहवे छत्ताइछत्ता पडागाइपडागा घण्टाजुयला चामरजुयला उप्पलजुयला उप्पलहत्थगा पउमहत्थगा कुमुयहत्यगा णलिणहत्थगा सुहगहत्थगा सोगन्धियहत्थगा सव्वरयणामया Tel 5112 qfar...
1 Ibid., p. 47.
५ तत्थ सुमणो नाम जक्खो तस्स असोगपायवसर्सिया सिला सुमणा तत्थ ए जणा पूर्यति । Vasudevahindi, p. 85, also see p. 88.
* Aupapātika Sūtra, sūtras, 2-5. 4 Dr. Coomaraswamy,HII A., p. 47.
6 The portion is not printed in the text of the Aupapātika sūtra, sū. 4 but indicated by the use of 517 and noted by Abhayadeva in his commentary,