In Defence of Icons in Three Languages: The Iconophilic Writings of Yaśovijaya
The seventeenth century was a time of great sectarian change and controversy among the Śvetāmbara Jains of western India. Among the most widely-disputed subjects was the status and orthodoxy of Jina icons and their worship. During this period the great Mūrtipūjaka Tapā Gaccha monk and intellectual...
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
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| Published: |
[publisher not identified]
2010
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| In: |
International Journal of Jaina Studies
Year: 2010, Volume: 6, Issue: 2, Pages: 1-45 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | The seventeenth century was a time of great sectarian change and controversy among the Śvetāmbara Jains of western India. Among the most widely-disputed subjects was the status and orthodoxy of Jina icons and their worship. During this period the great Mūrtipūjaka Tapā Gaccha monk and intellectual Yaśovijaya (1624-1688) wrote a number of texts in Sanskrit, Prakrit and Gujarati that in whole or in part advanced a defense of icons. This article summarizes eight texts (two in Sanskrit, one in Prakrit, and five in Gujarati) devoted solely to this subject, and then analyzes major themes that emerge in the texts. Yaśovijaya employed four arguments in defense of icons. (1) Icons are legitimated by the canonical hermeneutic of nikṣepa, or applying multiple viewpoints to any topic under investigation. (2) The worship of icons does not contravene the central Jain ethic of ahiṃsā or non-harm. (3) The worship of icons is supported by a careful reading of both the Śvetāmbara scriptures and their commentaries. (4) Finally, the study of Jain history shows clear evidence of the long-standing use of Jina icons. Yaśovijaya combined his deep knowledge of Jain literature with his skill as a logician and debater to articulate this “theology of the icon” that has remained an important element in Tapā Gaccha ideology until the present. This investigation of Yaśovijaya’s iconophilic writings demonstrates the centrality of icons to Jain ritual, devotional and intellectual culture. |
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| ISSN: | 1748-1074 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: International Journal of Jaina Studies
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