There are two separate pictures on this folio, each depicting different scenes from the life of the 22nd Jina, Neminātha or Lord Nemi, often called Ariṣṭanemi.
The caption in the upper-left corner says: Ne° janma – 'Nemi’s birth'.
On the left, a lady is on her couch in her bedroom. It is the kṣatriya Queen Śivā, mother of Nemi. The infant Nemi is shown almost standing beside his mother. This is very unusual because normally the baby is in his mother’s arms. On the right side is a female attendant, fanning the queen with a fly-whisk.
Showing the mother and new baby in her room is the standard way to show the birth of a Jina in Kalpa-sūtra manuscripts from western India.
The caption in the top-right corner says: paśūvāḍa – 'the pen with animals'.
On the top left is a richly dressed lady sitting in a kind of pavilion. This is Rājīmatī, the fiancée of Prince Nemi.
From a young age Nemi has wanted to renounce the householder life to become an ascetic. After much persuasion from his family and friends he has overcome his reluctance to marry. Now he is on his way to the palace of his future in-laws for his wedding to Princess Rājīmatī.
On the bottom left is a pen holding numerous animals, which are here shown as different kinds of antelopes. Turning back to them is Prince Nemi seated in his chariot, pulled by a vigorous horse directed by a charioteer.
When Nemi sees all the animals penned up ready to be killed to feed the wedding guests, he is deeply troubled and repulsed. He decides to pull out of the marriage and renounce worldly life.
The upward sweep of Nemi’s horse makes the viewer feel the strength of his reaction.
The bottom of the right-hand margin contains the number 59, which is the folio number.
The original paper has been pasted onto a new base. 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 golden diamonds along the central horizontal plane are symbolic reminders of the way in which manuscripts were bound at one time. Strings through one or more holes in the paper were used to thread together the loose folios so the reader could turn them over easily. The shapes are in the places where the holes would once have been.
Three diamonds mean a verso side.
The elaborate script used is the Jaina Devanāgarī script, which is here like calligraphy. It is used for writing numerous Indian languages, here for Ardhamāgadhī Prakrit.
There are a few notable features of this script, which:
The illustration on the left-hand side of the folios shows the mother and new baby. It is the usual way of depicting the birth of a Jina in Kalpa-sūtra manuscripts from western India.
The episode on the right is a famous episode dear to the Jains’ hearts. This is in part because it underscores the repulsion towards taking animal life if it can be avoided and the importance of non-violence and vegetarianism. The renunciation of Neminātha or Lord Nemi – often called Ariṣṭanemi – is a key step in his journey towards becoming a Jina.
This episode is not in the text of the Kalpa-sūtra but it belongs to the oldest Śvetāmbara Jain tradition. It is known from chapter 22 of the Uttarādhyayana-sūtra, which is one of the most famous books of the Śvetāmbara canonical scriptures. Here it is told in a few stanzas:
With such pomp and splendour the hero of the Vṣṇis [= Prince Nemi] started from his own palace. On his way he saw animals kept in cages and enclosures, overcome by fear and looking miserable. Seeing them on the point of being killed for the sake of their flesh, and to be eaten afterwards, the great sage spoke to his charioteer thus: ‘Why are all these animals, which desire to be happy, kept in cages and enclosures?’ Then the charioteer answered: ‘Lucky are these animals because at thy wedding they will furnish food for many people’. Having heard these words, which announced the slaughter of many animals, the great sage, full of compassion and kindness to living beings, meditated thus: ‘If for my sake many living beings are killed, I shall not obtain happiness in the next world.’ Then the famous man presented the charioteer with his pair of earrings, his neck-chain and all his ornaments.
Translation by Hermann Jacobi
The Kalpa-sūtra is the most frequently illustrated 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, 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.
[In the first month of the rainy season,] in the second fortnight, the light [fortnight] of the month of Śrāvaṇa, on the sixth day of the fortnight, in the middle of the night, on the palanquin called Uttarakurā, followed on his way by a train of gods, men and Asuras, he went right through the city of Dvāravatī
Translation by Hermann Jacobi
1. [vāsāṇaṃ paḍhame māse dū]cce pakkhe // sāvaṇa-suddhe tassa
2. ṇaṃ sāvaṇa-suddhassa / chaṭṭhī-pakkhe-
3. ṇaṃ / puvv’-aṇha-kāla-samayaṃsi
4. uttarakurāe sīyāe sa-
5. deva-maṇuyāsurā-
6. e parisāe a-
7. ṇugammamāṇa-magge jāva
8. Bāravaī nagarī majjhaṃ majjheṇaṃ
9. niggacchai / nigga2 jeṇ’ eva re
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
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 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
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
Victoria and Albert Museum. IM 8-1931. Unknown author. Second half of the 15th century
Victoria and Albert Museum. IM 161-1914. Unknown author. 16th century
British Library. Or. 13959. Unknown author. 1639
British Library. Or. 13455. Unknown author. 14th to 15th centuries
Victoria and Albert Museum. IM 10-1931. Unknown author. Circa 1490
British Library. Or. 5149. Unknown author. 1464
Gamma 453. Wellcome Trust Library. Unknown author. 1512