Studies in Jaina Art

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

Page 88

SYMBOL WORSHIP IN JAINISM
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Eastern India, we have a few reliefs of Ganesa standing or dancing under the spread arch of a mango treel. Ganeśa's original connections with Yakşa worship are wellknown and this is reminiscent of it. All attempts to obtain literary evidence for this association of Ganesa with mango tree have so far failed.
Along with the conception of Caitya-trees may be noted the conceptions of Tree of Life and the Wish-Fulfilling Trees (Kalpa-druma) in Brahmanical and Buddhist texts. The Jaina texts also speak of ten Kalpa-drumas. These are described in details in the Jambudvīpaprajñapti.3 Hemacandra in his Trişaşțisalākāpurusa-Caritra (1. 1. vv. 226-37) describes the ten kinds of Kalpa trees in the Uttarakurus as follows:-"The ten kinds of wishing trees, Madyangas, etc, always give to the people whatever they desire without effort on their part, Among these, the Madyangas give wine, the Bhrngas dishes, the Türyangas choice musical instruments...... The Dipaśikhās and Jyotişkas give a wonderful light, the Citrāngas furnish wreaths, and the Citrarasas in turn food. Manyangas furnish ornaments, the Gehākāras houses, and the Anangas various kinds of divine apparel." 4
1 For illustrations see, Banerji, R. D., Eastern School of Mediaeval Indian Sculpture, and History of Bengal, Vol. I.
2 Esp. see, Coomaraswamy, Elements of Buddhist Iconography.
3 Jambūdvipaprajñapli, 20. p. 99 ff. See also Pravacana-sāroddhāra, 1067-70, p. 314, Harivaṁśa of Jinasena, Vol. I, pp. 146-147.
4 Trişastiśalākāpuruşacaritra, Vol. I (G.O. Series), transl. by H. Johnson, PP. 29-30.