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Life in Ancient India as Depicted in the Jain Canons, with Commentaries: An Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey c14.s3.t7: (5) Sivamaaha

Life in Ancient India as Depicted in the Jain Canons, with Commentaries: An Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey c14.s3.t7

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(5) Sivamaaha

c14.s3.t7.1

¹⁹⁴ Certain stone lingas have been found in the Indus valley which show that the cult was a very popular one in those days Przyluski in his paper on 'Non-Aryan Loans in Indo-Aryan' has shown that both the words langula (plough) and linga (penis) are of Austro-Asiatic origin in their origin and in their etymology they mean one and the same thing The linga worship was of an Aryan origin is clearly shown by the opprobrious terms applied to the phallic worshippers in Rigveda (Pre-Aryan Elements in Indian Culture Atul K Sur the Calcutta Review, Nov-Dec 1932 p 241 f) also see Rose, Tribes and castes of Punjab and N W Province Vol I pp 260 ff

c14.s3.t7.2

Śiva or Maheśvara was the lord of Bhūtas, burner of Kāma and the father of Skanda in Indian mythology His chief deeds were to drink the world-destroying poison, destroy Dakṣa's sacrifice and receive the falling Ganges in his mattered hair A festival in his honour as mountain-god is held in the spring-month vaiśākha Śiva is also called Umāpati¹⁹⁵ According to a Jain legend, Śiva or Maheśvara was the son of Sujetthā, the daughter of Cetaka by mendicant Pedhāla¹⁹⁶

c14.s3.t7.3

¹⁹⁵ Hopkins, op cit , pp 219-226

c14.s3.t7.4

¹⁹⁶ It is said that once the nun Sujetthā was practising penance when Pedhāla approached her and creating mist (dhūmikā) before her eyes cohabited with her In course of time Sujetthā bore Satvaki, who became versed in magical spells (vijjā) The magical spell Mahārohini made a hole in his forehead and entered his body Later on this hole was transformed into a third eye After some time Satyaki killed his father because he had raped the royal virgin Sujetthā Then Satyaki became an overlord of magical spells (vijjācakka-vatti) and was called Malesara by Indra Mahesara did not like Brāhmanas and so he violated the chasity of hundreds of Brāhmana girls He committed adultery with all other queens of Pajjoya excepting Sivā Now Mahesara began to live with Umā, a beautiful courtesan of Ujjeni. Once when he was sporting with her he was killed by Pajjoya's servants When Nandisara, a friend of Mahesara came to know of this, he got very angry, and seized with the vijjās, in order to kill the citizens he ascended the sky with a slab of stone. Pajjoya asked his pardon and since then the phallus of Sivā was placed in each and every city for worship (Āva cū II, p 175 f), Hopkins op cit , p 226

c14.s3.t7.5

Like the worship of Khanda and Mukunda the worship of Śiva also was in vogue during the life-time of Mahāvīra.¹⁹⁷ The worship of Dhendra-sivā also came into being from this time.¹⁹⁸ An image of Śiva is referred to which was worshipped with leaves, flowers and guggulu (bdellium) and was given a bath with the ichor of an elephant (gallodaya).¹⁹⁹

c14.s3.t7.6

¹⁹⁷ Āa Nīr 509

c14.s3.t7.7

¹⁹⁸ Āa cū p 312, Brh Bhā 5 5928

c14.s3.t7.8

¹⁹⁹ Brh. Bhā. Pi. 804.

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