________________
Painting 8: Trishala, the queen who is in light sleep sees fourteen dreams immediately after the transplanation of the foetus into her womb, while she is lying down on the cot, as shown in the illustration. Painting 9: This is the most beautiful picture. It satisfies the eye and the heart at the same time. Blue background is very attractive. It adds beauty to the picture and makes it very impressive. The readers are struck specially by the following two things.
This picture attracts anyone at first sight. One dreams at night. To indicate this, black colour can be used but the black colour is avoided in the religious field. So blue colour is selected. This colour adds to its beauty. Three dreams out of fourteen are of animals with five senses. An elephant, a lion and a bull are famous and favourite symbols in Indian religious culture and art. Three of them are used as the mark of identification 'Lanchhan' for three Tirthankars. A lion and an elephant have a permanent place in the arabesque (Parikara) of a Jain icon of a Tirthankar. These three symbols are purposely kept at the centre together. Generally goddess Lakshmi follows the elephant in the picutre. However, to maintain the order the bull should take the place of Lakshmi and the lion should be in place of a garland, Dreams could be arranged in this order. How ever, the dreams are not arranged in the above order for the following sound reason.
Painting 4: There are a number of methods of drawing twenty sections in the presentation of this picture. After considering all aspects I selected the shape which seemed to me to be proper. The place of an Arihant is the highest in Vish-Sthanak'. So he is shown without any ornaments at the top with his eight divine accompaniments and cowrieholders. An Arihant is another name of 'Paramatma' Bhagawan. If he is there, everything is there but if He is not there, there is nothing. Nineteen 'Padas' are attached to him. An Arihant is at the centre of Jain order. Everyone desires to become an Arihant by worship and self discipline.
An arch shape was selected for this picture. It was divided into six parts and twenty columns. This picture is full of sketches of men. An arch shape is purposely selected so that the picture will not appear too heavy to the eyes. Space is left for artistic natural designs of flowers and leaves on both sides and for the goddesses and clouds at the top. This background supports the main theme and makes it very attractive with its fine colour scheme.
Some of these twenty padas of 'Vish Sthanak' have nearly the same subject. So it is very difficult to draw the exact figure of some of these 'Padas'. The figures of Vish Sthanak' are found drawn in a different strange ways a hundred years ago. Intelligent ascetics draw them according to their own idea.
Merely showing twenty 'Padas' of 'Vish Sthanak' is not sufficient. Its main intention is not fulfilled. Hence at the bottom of the picture I have shown one person from the four-fold Jain community and the chief who pursues spiri tual discipline to attain the highest goal.
Thirty years ago at Valkeshwar I got the picture of twenty figures of Vish-Sthanak' drawn according to my imagination. I got them embroidered on a thick silk cloth (chhod) with 'Jari' (gold and silver fabrics). Many followed this and got such chhods embroidered. Painting 5: The TWENTYSIXTH birth before the advent of Bhagavan Mahavira is shown by the aerial car in the sky, His soul is symbolically shown as a god in the aerial car. At the end of the span of life in that birth the soul is descen. ding for the TWENTYSEVENTH birth, to be born in the womb of Devananda the Brahmin woman asleep on the terrace. The descent of the soul is suggested by the circular white light. Painting 6: The painting is divided into two parts. In the upper part of the painting Saudharma (the ruler of heaven) who is seated in the aerial car commands Harinaigameshi a demigod with the head of a deer, who stands with respect to remove the foetus (for transplantation). In the lower part Devananda the Brahmin woman narrates her fourteen dreams' to Rishabhadatta her Brahmin husband who in turn narrates the results of such dreams. Painting 7: The artist has depicted three incidents by trisecting the painting. In the uppermost section Devananda is shown with grief at the loss of the foetus, the middle portion depicts Harinaigameshi, the demi-god flying to the city of Kshatriya Kund for transplanting the foetus into the womb of Trishala and in the third illustration below queen Trishala is shown in light sleep while the royal maids are shown busy with service. Chronologically the upper scene should be below but the abode of gods being in the sky. It is shown above to make it reasonable.
Some Acharyas and sadhus had been to Bhaiyaji, an expert artist in paper-cutting in Patan, when he was engraving a picture of the fourteen dreams from the printed pictures in my album. After seeing the lion being carved first the observer commented that Yashovijayaji had committed a mistake. Bhaiyaji asked him the reason. Then he replied that the elephant came first in the dream, so it must be carved first. The lion came in third. Bhaiyaji communicated the above incident to me in details. I was surprised to know the fact. So I wrote to him that in the Kalpa Sutra which is read by our every Acharya and Muni in every 'Paryusan' it is recorded that the mothers who conceived the first twenty two Tirthankars saw the bull first in their dream and the mother of Mahavira saw the lion. The script where the above fact was recorded was also quoted for his information and reference. He (Bhaiyaji) was asked to read that section to the person who objected to the above order.
The main reason for this is that the 'Kalpa Sutra' is read only once a year and that too in a hurry. So one overlooks the above fact. 'Snatra' is to be recited everyday. An elephant is put first in it then follows the bull and then the lion. Many have got the following Gujarati line by heart.
Pahele' gajavar ditho, Bije vrishabh payettho, Trije kesari sinh.
In 'Snatra' an elephant is put first because the mothers of twenty-two Tirthankars saw the elephant. That is the majority.
Among the fourteen dreams three are of animals. So an alternative among these three can be easily arranged.
We do respect the majority of opinions. Hence we have shown an elephant separately in the centre. A bull and a lion are drawn above it. We believe that now none will have
6. Harinaigameshi is popularly pronounced as Haninagameshi and so people took him to be a demi god with the head of a deer as 'Harina' means a deer But in reality he does not possess such a head of course he can assume such a form with his divine power 7. The Digambara tradition narrates 16 dreams
# The female foetus in the womb of queen Trishala was transplanted into the womb of Devananda, the Brahmin woman.
YT TI जीवना परिणामनी घटना
20
RETRE
w
(
fe
)
2
foren (411)
(0)
Ferenc (9)
T (PUTI)
1 cufe Art)
Jain Education International
For Personal & Private Use Only
www.ainelibrary.org
