Background
These animals represent the 12 heavens of the upper world, which is one of the three worlds of traditional Jain cosmology.
The Saṃgrahaṇī-ratna belongs to the tradition of Śvetāmbara writings on the Jain universe. The monk Śrīcandra wrote Prakrit verses in the 12th century consolidating previous writings on cosmology. It is called Jewel of Summarised Verses, a phrase which underlines the condensed nature of the work.
Though Saṃgrahaṇī works describe the universe, they are mainly concerned with the beings who live in different parts of the Jain world. They go into detail about their life-duration, karma and spiritual progress much more than the geography.
Cosmological writings have generated numerous commentaries in Sanskrit or the vernacular languages. Teaching and learning cosmology remain an important part of monastic education. A rich pictorial tradition has also grown up round the Saṃgrahaṇī works, as visualisation is part of the transmission of knowledge on the Jain universe and is helpful as a means of understanding.
Jain cosmology is complex. Human beings live in the Middle World, which is the smallest of the three worlds that make up world space – loka-ākāśa. In world space all the souls live in the different body-forms they take according to their rebirths, in the various worlds. Outside world space is the non‑world space – aloka-ākāśa – which is endless. However, the Middle World is the most important area from the spiritual point of view because it is the only part where human beings can live.
Jains cannot advance spiritually without understanding and meditating upon cosmological theories so understanding them is crucial. Certain key religious concepts run through these theories. These include the notion of a physical soul shedding karma by moving through the cycle of rebirth to eventual omniscience and liberation, along with the cyclical nature of time, the interconnectedness of the universe, and the importance of symmetry, repetition and balance.
Glossary
Description
In Jain cosmology there are numerous heavens in the upper tiers of the universe, above the mortal realms in the middle world and the hells below. The lowest twelve heavens are the paradises – kalpas – in which dwell the Vaimānika gods.
Each heaven has an animal as its emblem.
Animal in painting |
Name of animal in caption and meaning |
Heaven |
---|---|---|
1. black antelope |
mṛga – antelope |
Saudharma |
2. buffalo |
mahiṣa – buffalo |
Iśāna |
3. boar |
varāha – boar |
Sanatkumāra |
4. tiger |
sīha – lion |
Māhendra |
5. goat |
chaggala – goat |
Brahmaloka |
6. frog |
sālūrā – frog |
Lāntaka |
7. horse |
haya – horse |
Śukra |
8. elephant |
gaya – elephant |
Sahasrāra |
9. snake |
bhuyaṃga – snake |
Anata |
10. unicorn-rhino |
khaḍgī – rhinoceros |
Prāṇata |
11. bull |
vṛṣabha – bull |
Aruṇa |
12. white antelope |
gheṭo – white antelope |
Acyuta |
There are several differences between the animals in the painting and the names in the text.
- number 3 is supposed to be a boar, with a tusk shown in the painting, but it looks more like a sheep
- number 4 is referred to as sīha or 'lion' in the text but it looks more like a tiger with an elephant’s trunk in the painting – Indian artistic representations of lions often show them as tigers because while the tiger was common on Indian territory the lion was never so
- number 6 is named as a kind of frog in the text but the painting is not a naturalistic depiction – paintings of frogs in Indian art often resemble the strange form seen here
- number 10 is referred to as khaḍgī, which normally means 'rhinoceros' – the rhino is found in Assam in eastern India so it is not certain whether a painter from Western India would have known what it looks like, and the animal in this painting looks rather like a unicorn.
- number 12 is a white antelope in the text but the painting looks like a ram, and the Gujarati word used in the corresponding caption indeed means 'ram'.
Note that the bull has the hump characteristic of Asian cattle.
- Source:
The British Library Board
- Shelfmark:
Or. 13454
- Author:
Śrīcandra
- Date of creation:
1644
- Folio number:
16 verso
- Total number of folios:
45
- Place of creation:
Stambhatīrtha (modern Cambay), Gujarat
- Language:
Jaina Māhārāṣṭrī Prākrit in Devanāgarī script
- Medium:
opaque watercolour on paper
- Size:
25 x 11 cms
- Copyright:
CC0 1.0 (Creative Commons Public Domain)
- Image Copyright:
- +
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Description
In Jain cosmology there are numerous heavens in the upper tiers of the universe, above the mortal realms in the middle world and the hells below. The lowest twelve heavens are the paradises – kalpas – in which dwell the Vaimānika gods.
Each heaven has an animal as its emblem.
Animal in painting |
Name of animal in caption and meaning |
Heaven |
---|---|---|
1. black antelope |
mṛga – antelope |
Saudharma |
2. buffalo |
mahiṣa – buffalo |
Iśāna |
3. boar |
varāha – boar |
Sanatkumāra |
4. tiger |
sīha – lion |
Māhendra |
5. goat |
chaggala – goat |
Brahmaloka |
6. frog |
sālūrā – frog |
Lāntaka |
7. horse |
haya – horse |
Śukra |
8. elephant |
gaya – elephant |
Sahasrāra |
9. snake |
bhuyaṃga – snake |
Anata |
10. unicorn-rhino |
khaḍgī – rhinoceros |
Prāṇata |
11. bull |
vṛṣabha – bull |
Aruṇa |
12. white antelope |
gheṭo – white antelope |
Acyuta |
There are several differences between the animals in the painting and the names in the text.
- number 3 is supposed to be a boar, with a tusk shown in the painting, but it looks more like a sheep
- number 4 is referred to as sīha or ‘lion’ in the text but it looks more like a tiger with an elephant’s trunk in the painting – Indian artistic representations of lions often show them as tigers because while the tiger was common on Indian territory the lion was never so
- number 6 is named as a kind of frog in the text but the painting is not a naturalistic depiction – paintings of frogs in Indian art often resemble the strange form seen here
- number 10 is referred to as khaḍgī, which normally means ‘rhinoceros’ – the rhino is found in Assam in eastern India so it is not certain whether a painter from Western India would have known what it looks like, and the animal in this painting looks rather like a unicorn.
- number 12 is a white antelope in the text but the painting looks like a ram, and the Gujarati word used in the corresponding caption indeed means ‘ram’.
Note that the bull has the hump characteristic of Asian cattle.