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1. Homage to the Wheel of religion:
3. Eight auspicious symbols:
INTRODUCTION OF 80 ILLUSTRATION-STRIPS AND MORE THAN 144 SYMBOLIC ILLUSTRATIONS
182 Education International
Third Edition
BY: MUNI YASHOVIJAY
This album contains 48 multicolour paintings with an introduction to each on the left side of the painting. An illustration-strip presenting a different subject is printed at the bottom of each page; facing the painting and the text in Gujarati, Hindi and English is printed above, with three symbolic pictures each in square with side measuring 2.5 cms. In all there are 80 such illustration-strips and more than 185 symbolic illustrations. Most of them are related to Jain religion or Jain culture while a few deal with general subjects.
The illustrations in the strips and the separate illustrations cover subjects such as philosophy, religious practice, worship, Mantra, Tantra, literature, music, sculpture, art etc, besides religion and culture.
The introduction presented here is intended not only for the learned or advanced research scholars but also for the laymen and hence the philosophic intricacies are over-looked. Barring certain strips and symbols the essential aspects of the rest of the illustrations are duly explained in simple language.
Introduction to 48 picture-strips printed under three-languages introductory pages This strip is related to the wheel of religion. This wheel of religion is brighter than the sun. It heralds the religious campaign of every Tirthankara and humbles the pride of opponents. It flashes light and moves in the sky while the Tirthankara is on his religious walk. It is created on a golden lotus in front of the Tirthankara in Samavasarana the religious auditorium by the gods. It is on the Samavasarana - gate also. Moreover, it is a symbol spreading religious light, suggesting its dominant power and inspiring the same. The religious wheel was first moved by Bahubaliji, the son of Bhagawan Rishabhadeva at Takshashila (in Peshawar district) when the latter was on a religious walk (Vihar) billions of years ago. The book Tapawali enjoins the performance of austerity aimed at the wheel of religion. But we forgot all about it and the Jains became oblivious of the fact that the religious wheel was first moved by the Jains. How then, should we expect others to remember this fact? Today it has become particularly known all round as the Government of India has adopted the wheel of religion as initiated by the followers of Bhagawan Buddha. The illustration shows here the fourfold Jain community paying devotional homage to the wheel of religion to convey that the wheel of religion is not only worth bowing but also worth worshipping by all. The deer resting on each side of the religious wheel symbolises chastity and pity.
2. Aum Hrim: This strip shows howAUM and HRIM should be written in the Devanagari script, according to the Jain tradition.
These two Mantra beej have to be written on the earthen altar during the minor or major Shanti Snatra ceremony. These Mantra beej are well-known in almost all religions. It is widely used in Mantras, Yantras, Japas and meditations. The Jains identify Aum with the five categories of religious heads (Panch-parameshthis) and HRIM with twenty four Tirthankaras. A number of volumes and 'Mantra Kalpas' have been written on the importance and technique of worshipping AUM and HRIM.
The wheel of religion has 7 to 24 spokes'. The wheels of religion are found either in front of or on the side of the icon. Showing the wheel of religion by the side has an earlier tradition. At present the convention is to keep the same in front of the icon.
This strip shows eight symbols conceived to be auspicious in the world since time immemorial. These symbols are reproduced from the illustrations of the eight auspicious objects, as depicted in the illustratated Kalpa Sutra (Barsa). The strip shows them in order (1) the Swastika, (2) the Shri-Vatsa (an auspicious sign on the chest), (3) the Nandyavarta (a complex Swastika), (4) the Vardhamanaka, (5) the Bhadrasana (a holy seat), (6) the holy Pitcher (7) the fish-couple and (8) the mirror. According to the scriptural command every Jain has to draw them with pure, unbroken rice-grains before the icon of Jinendra Bhagawan before commencing his obeisance to the chaitya (temple), while sitting in the sanctorum after worshipping Bhagawan in a Jain temple, but this custom is no more. Nowadays the Swastika is drawn on a flat wooden stand, with rice grains and three heaps of rice grains, symbolising knowledge, vision and character. The digit of half moon symbolising the Siddhashila 2 is made over it with the ricegrains and in the middle a small heap of rice-grains. In this custom the drawing of an auspicious Swastika is invariably maintained first.
At present thousands of Jains young and old, men and women make this Swastika in the temple on a flat wooden stand, with unbroken rice-grains brought from home.
Ordinarily rice-grains are to be used for making the illustrations of these eight auspicious symbols before the icon of Bhagawan. In ancient times, Jain kings and the rich used to make these eight auspicious symbols with rice-grains made of gold and silver. There was also a widely prevalent custom to draw these figures with any material. Later on it was found inconvenient to draw all these symbols and so they were all carved on a wooden stand or a low stool and the hollow parts were filled with rice-grains. This was very simple and it saved time. At first all liked this new method but later on all could not afford such carving. So this method started slowly disappearing. The Jain community felt that the followers would lose the advantage secured through such auspicious symbols,so they finally introduced metalic benches embossed with these auspicious symbols, in the temples. Such benches were permanently required as they were used for daily routine worship and it was made compulsory to keep such benches
Note: 1. Scriptures have also shown the 'religious wheel' as having a thousand spokes.
Note: 2. For this the moon is drawn with its digit on the fifth or the eighth night of the bright half of the month.
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