With bodies are of different colours, six men are shown performing various actions in or around a tree.
This picture has to be read in a certain order to be understood properly. Starting from the bottom left, the viewer’s gaze should move clockwise.
At the bottom left, a black-bodied man holds an axe to cut the tree at the base of its trunk.
Above him a grey-bodied man carries an axe, ready to cut the boughs of the tree.
Above him is a dark blue-bodied man with an axe, preparing to cut off the branches.
Opposite him is a brown-bodied man holding an implement, as if to catch the bunches of fruit at the top of the tree.
Below him, a yellow-bodied man does not carry any tool. He reaches out to pick the fruit.
Below him, at the bottom right, a white-bodied man does not carry any tool. He gestures at the ground and raises his other hand towards the man opposite him, as in a gesture of reproach.
The tree is depicted with care for detail, with the leaves shown precisely. It is home to lots of birds, shown through two peacocks and eight smaller white birds of different species, some with crests.
This is a standard depiction of the parable of the tree, meant to illustrate the six colours of the soul – leśyā. Souls take on a different colour depending on one’s behaviour. This is a complex Jain concept narrowly connected to the doctrine of karma. This parable and illustration are the most common way of visualising the concept. The different attitudes one can have when facing an identical situation demonstrate the soul’s colour. In this parable, the six men are said to be in a jungle, thirsty and hungry, when they come across the fruit-laden jambū tree. They do different things to get the tree’s fruit.
The gradation in colour, from the darkest to the lightest, corresponds to the degree of violence or impurity in behaviour.
Action |
Colour of leśyā |
---|---|
Cutting the tree down at the root |
black |
Cutting down the boughs |
blue or green, like here – nīla corresponds to both |
Cutting off the branches |
grey – though here it is blue |
Cutting off bunches of fruit |
fiery – red or yellow, though here brown |
Plucking the fruit from the tree |
lotus colour – here interpreted as light pink |
Picking up the fruit that has fallen on the ground |
white |
The leśyās are divided into two groups of three. The first group contains the extremely negative ones, the second group the less negative ones. There are variations in the way the painter renders the adjectives naming the colour. But all negative colours are on the same side as black, the others are on the same side as white. This is an organising principle of the painting.
The paintings do not always make it clear which parts of the tree that men numbers two to four intend to cut. It is often difficult to know whether the boughs, the branches or the bunches of fruit are meant.
Here, the six leśyās are depicted by the six men in the parable of the tree.
The text copied on this manuscript discusses the colours of the souls of the four classes of gods, implying several technical details. It is found in verse 517 and the following verse, found on the recto side of this folio. The names of the colours occur in this verse and provide a starting point for a standard representation of this striking concept as a whole. This is the case with all manuscripts of the Saṃgrahaṇī-ratna.
Like this one, paintings representing the leśyā generally use bright colours. They often occupy a full page in a vertical orientation. The painters want to show the height of the tree and the format of the manuscript is rectangular. So the tree is not facing the reader, who opens the manuscript and sees the picture on its side, as it is here.
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. This manuscript contains an anonymous Gujarati commentary in addition to the Prakrit verses.
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. This manuscript is a carefully executed artefact with a large panel of paintings and charts. Unfortunately, it is not dated and has no information about those involved in producing it.
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.
A definition of the concept of karmic stain or soul colour – leśyā – on the HereNow4U website.
The concept of leśyā, a fundamental part of the doctrine of karma, is defined in Wikipedia.
The HereNow4U website provides a glossary entry for the doctrine of karmic stain or soul colour – leśyā.
Jinalaya.com provides a detailed explanation of the complex doctrine of karma in the Jain faith, including the related notions of passions – kaṣāyas – and 'karmic stain' – leśyā – which indicates a soul's spiritual condition.
Jain Square recounts the well-known parable of the tree, which shows how actions indicate the colour of the soul – leśyā. This karmic stain or soul colour reflects the soul's spiritual condition.
http://jainsquare.com/2011/06/27/six-friends-and-mango-tree-illustration-lesya/
Jain Square offers the story of King Shrenik, who hears an illustration of the concept of karmic stain or soul colour – leśyā – from the 24th Jina. Mahāvīra explains how the colour of the embodied soul changes according to its mental and spiritual condition. This affects the progress of the soul through the cycle of rebirth.
http://jainsquare.com/2011/06/27/king-shrenik-illustration-lesya/
HereNow4U provides an extract from Transmutation Of Personality Through Preksha Meditation that discusses the categories of leśyā or soul colour. The extract takes the form of an interview with Ācārya Tulsi, the eighth leader of the Śvetāmbara Terāpanthin sect. Although he uses scripture to explain leśyās, Ācārya Tulsi considers the concept partly in the context of the 'insight meditation' – prekṣā dhyāna – of the Śvetāmbara Terāpanthins, which may also be practised by those who do not follow this sect.
HereNow4U provides an extract from Transmutation Of Personality Through Preksha Meditation that discusses the material nature of the concept of leśyā or soul colour. The excerpt takes the form of an interview with Ācārya Tulsi, the eighth leader of the Śvetāmbara Terāpanthin sect. Although he uses scripture to explain leśyās, Ācārya Tulsi considers the concept partly in the context of the 'insight meditation' – prekṣā dhyāna – of the Śvetāmbara Terāpanthins, which may also be practised by those who do not follow this sect.
HereNow4U provides an excerpt from Transmutation Of Personality Through Preksha Meditation that briefly discusses the qualities of leśyā or soul colour. The excerpt takes the form of an interview with Ācārya Tulsi, the eighth leader of the Śvetāmbara Terāpanthin sect. Although he uses scripture to explain leśyās, Ācārya Tulsi considers the concept partly in the context of the 'insight meditation' – prekṣā dhyāna – of the Śvetāmbara Terāpanthins, which may also be practised by those who do not follow this sect.
With commentary by Dharmameru. British Library. Or. 13456. Śrīcandra. 1812
British Library. Or. 13454. Śrīcandra. 1644
British Library. Add. Or. 1814. Unknown author. 19th century
British Library. Or. 13294. Unknown author. 18th to 19th centuries
British Library. Or. 13362. Unknown author. Perhaps 15th century
With commentary by Dharmameru. British Library. Or. 13456. Śrīcandra. 1812
British Library. Or. 13454. Śrīcandra. 1644