The caption in the top right corner reads: Ṛṣabhaprati[mā] – 'image of Ṛṣabha'.
A lady lying on a bed is being fanned by a servant, who stands on the right side. Above her are two rows of animals, figures and objects.
The richly jewelled lady is Queen Mārudevī, mother of the first Jina, Ṛṣabhanātha or Lord Ṛṣabha. This identification is only possible thanks to the facing text, which relates to Ṛṣabha and mentions his name and those of his parents. The scene in itself has no individual characteristics and is identical to the birth scene for all Jinas, for example the birth of the 22nd Jina Nemi and the birth of the 24th Jina Mahāvīra.
The queen is full of joy about her new pregnancy. Like the mother of all Jinas, she has 14 dreams that announce the greatness of the future baby, who will become Ṛṣabha. The symbols of these dreams are depicted in the levels above Mārudevī.
Starting from the top left and moving left to right, the sequence of the dreams is divided into two levels. On the top row the dreams are depicted as:
On the second row the dreams are represented by:
Below, between the queen and her attendant, are two circles representing:
These two are shown smaller because the painter is using the space practically, but all dreams have the same importance. The order of the 14 auspicious dreams is always the same in the text of the Kalpa-sūtra, but the manuscript painters can choose how to use the space at their disposal.
As with many Kalpa-sūtra manuscripts, there is a clear intention to make the manuscript a valuable and remarkable object in itself. This aim is signalled by the:
The three red circles along the central horizontal plane are symbolic reminders of the way in which palm-leaf manuscripts were bound at one time. Strings through these holes in the palm leaf were used to thread together the loose folios so the reader could turn them over easily. The circles are in the place where the hole would once have been. Three circles mean a verso side.
The folio number, which should have been visible in the lower right corner of this verso side, is not visible as the edges are damaged.
The elaborate script used is the Jaina Devanāgarī, which is like calligraphy. It is used for writing numerous Indian languages, here for Prakrit.
There are a few notable features of this script, which:
Red is used to highlight stanza breaks and certain symbols and phrases, specifically:
The Kalpa-sūtra is the most frequently illustrated Jain text of the Śvetāmbara sect. It is read and recited by monks in the festival of Paryuṣaṇ, which takes place in August to September each year.
The first part of the Kalpa-sūtra deals with the lives of the Jinas, especially Mahāvīra, Pārśva, Nemi and Ṛṣabha. It features almost identical stories of their births, lives as princes and then their renunciation, enlightenment and emancipation.
The second part – Sthavirāvali – is a praise of the early teachers of Jainism. The third part – Sāmācārī – deals with particular monastic rules to be followed during the rainy season.
The pages or folios under this shelfmark belong to different manuscripts. The folios show a variety of handwriting, language and artistic style and are on noticeably different paper.
The folios are from four separate manuscripts, as follows:
There is also a manuscript holder made for an unknown manuscript.
It is not known what has happened to the rest of each manuscript.
Copies of the Kalpa-sūtra and Kālakācārya-kathā are often made in a single manuscript, which may be why these folios were bundled together. At some point in the past these folios and the manuscript holder were put into a box at the British Library and labelled ‘Frags. of Jain Mss. Skt. / Pkt.’ meaning 'Fragments of Jain manuscripts in Sanskrit and Prakrit'. However, it is important to remember that they do not belong together.
1. at that time the Arhat Ṛṣabha from Kosala
2. in the fourth month of summer, in the seventh fortnight
3. in the dark fortnight of Āsāḍha, on the fourth day
4. of the dark fortnight of Āsāḍha, he descended from the heaven Sarvārthasiddha
5. after he had stayed there for 33 sāgaropamas,
6. here, in the continent Jambū-dvīpa, in the land Bhārata, on the territory of the Ikṣvāku
7. [he took form in the womb] of Marudevī, the wife of the patriarch Nābhi.
1. teṇaṃ samaeṇaṃ / Usabhe arahā Kosalie / je
2. se gimhāṇaṃ cautthe māse sattame pakkhe Āsā-
3. yaḍha-bahule ssa taṃ [should be tassa] ṇaṃ Āsāḍha-bahulassa / cau-
4. tthī-divaseṇaṃ / Savvaṭṭhasiddhāo vimāṇāo tittīsaṃ
5. sāgarovama-ṭṭhiiāo aṇaṃtaraṃ cayaṃ caittā / i-
6. h’ eva Jambuddīve 2 Bhārahe-vāse Ikkhāga-bhūmī-
7. e Nābhi-kulakgarassa bhāriāe Marudevīe pu-
This manuscript of the Kalpa-sūtra is fully digitised on the Gallica Bibliothèque numérique website, part of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France (National Library of France) in Paris. Though the website is available in English, the information about the artefact is in French.
This hymn on YouTube is dedicated to Ṛṣabhanātha or Lord Ṛṣabha, the first of the 24 Jinas of this era of time. The slideshow has pictures of devotees praying to Ṛṣabha and passing on his teachings.
Victoria and Albert Museum. IS 46-1959. Unknown author. Late 15th to 16th centuries
British Library. Or. 13341. Unknown author
Victoria and Albert Museum. IM 8-1931. Unknown author. Second half of the 15th century
British Library. Or. 13700. Unknown author. 1445
British Library. Or. 13959. Unknown author. 1639
British Library. I.O. San. 3177. Unknown author. 1437
British Library. Or. 13700. Unknown author. 1445
British Library. Or. 5149. Unknown author. 1464