The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 24, 2025
Manuscript of the Prashnavyakarana-sutra
1513
Overall: 12.3 x 30.6 cm (4 13/16 x 12 1/16 in.)
Location: Not on view
Description
Two paintings, one on the back side of the first folio, and one on the front side of the second, form a glorious opening to this text on the basic ethics of Jainism, beginning with nonviolence. The first image depicts the 24th Jina Mahavira giving his first teaching at the moment of his enlightenment when he miraculously appeared to the assembly of gods and animals in all four directions. The second painting features a white-clad monk, probably Mahavira’s head disciple, Indrabhuti Gautama, teaching, flanked by two monastic disciples, surrounded by auspicious imagery. There are no other paintings in the remainder of the manuscript.- The Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection, Los Angeles, CA
- Text and Image in Southern Asia. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 26, 2022-March 5, 2023).
- {{cite web|title=Manuscript of the Prashnavyakarana-sutra|url=false|author=|year=1513|access-date=24 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/26.2014