The damaged caption in the upper left corner says: [Mah]āvīrakāne ṣīlā – 'Spikes in Mahāvīra's ears'.
Mahāvīra is the figure in the centre, with the other elements of the painting representing three physical attacks on him, namely the:
The men who are sticking spikes into Mahāvīra's ears are cowherds. When they found their bulls had wandered away, they asked the ascetic about them. Deep in meditation, he did not utter a word. The cowherds became angry and wanted to block his ears, which they thought were of no use since he had not listened to them.
The animals besetting Mahāvīra have been magicked up by Sangamaka, a jealous god who wanted to disturb his meditation.
The cooking vessel at Mahāvīra's feet stands for the episode where Sangamaka conjured up a camp of people near the meditating ascetic. The cook could not find stones so he made a hearth out of Mahāvīra's feet and set down a cooking pot. The ascetic's feet were severely burnt by the fire the cook kindled.
Mahāvīra's hardships are an inspiring topic for artists, who often devote more than one illustration to the theme. Though no reference to what is seen here is found in the Kalpa-sūtra text, painters commonly illustrate episodes recounted in other sources.
The original paper is slightly damaged. But, 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 diamond in the centre is a symbolic reminder of the way in which manuscripts were bound when they were on palm leaf. Strings through holes in the paper were used to thread together the loose folios so the reader could turn them over easily. The diamond is in the place where one of the holes would once have been.
All of the Jinas undergo a series of trials – upasargas – to confirm their spiritual and physical qualities.
The Kalpa-sūtra is the most frequently illustrated Jain text of the Śvetāmbara sect. It is read and recited by monks in the Śvetāmbara 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, renunciation, enlightenment and final 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.
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 rare palm-leaf page in the collections of the Philadelphia Museum of Art comes from an early 14th-century manuscript of the Śvetāmbara scripture of the Kalpa-sūtra. The picture illustrates the episode where the antelope-headed god Hariṇaigameṣin transfers the embryo of the Jina-to-be Mahāvīra from the brahmin lady Devānandā to the kṣatriya queen Triśalā.
http://www.philamuseum.org/collections/permanent/131608.html?mulR=656|4
This highly decorated page from a 15th-century manuscript of the Kalpa-sūtra is provided by the National Gallery of Australia. A young man performs the rite of keśa-loca – ‘pulling out of the hair’ – which indicates indifference to the body. It is part of the initiation ceremony of dīkṣā, in which an initiate renounces the world and becomes a mendicant. He is watched by Śakra, king of the gods who takes an active role in the lives of the 24 Jinas.
http://artsearch.nga.gov.au/Detail-LRG.cfm?IRN=177852&View=LRG
This illustrated page from a 15th-century manuscript of the Kalpa-sūtra is provided by the National Gallery of Australia. At the beginning of the section dealing with the 22nd Jina, Ariṣṭanemi, also called Nemi, the painting shows the famous episode of Prince Nemi's decision to renounce worldly life just before his wedding. He is so appalled by the distress of the animals due to be killed for his wedding feast that he decides to become a monk.
http://artsearch.nga.gov.au/Detail-LRG.cfm?View=LRG&IRN=147981&PICTAUS=TRUE
The National Gallery of Australia offers an elaborately illustrated page from a 15th-century manuscript of the Kalpa-sūtra. The 23rd Jina Pārśva sits in the lotus posture of meditation. He is easily identifiable from his seven-headed snake headdress.
http://artsearch.nga.gov.au/Detail-LRG.cfm?IRN=177853&View=LRG
This illustration is from a page of the Śvetāmbara scripture of the Kalpa-sūtra in the collections of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It shows the last Jina, Mahāvīra, performing the rite of keśa-loca – ‘pulling out of the hair’ – which indicates indifference to the body. It is part of the initiation ceremony of dīkṣā, in which an initiate renounces the world and becomes a mendicant. He is watched by Śakra, king of the gods, who takes an active role in the lives of the 24 Jinas.
http://www.philamuseum.org/collections/permanent/105108.html?mulR=656|9
British Library. Or. 5149. Unknown author. 1464
Victoria and Albert Museum. IS. 83-1963. Unknown author. 15th century
British Library. Or. 13701. Sukha-sāgara for the commentary. 17th to 18th centuries
British Library. Or. 13342. Unknown author.
British Library. Or. 11921. Unknown author. 1488
Gamma 453. Wellcome Trust Library. Unknown author. 1512
Wellcome Trust Library. Gamma 3. Unknown author. 1503