Lord Adinath is the founder of yoga. He is considered as the first teacher of the subject and His wife, Devi Parvati, the first student. The mangalacharan (opening verses) of a number of classical texts on yoga mention Him with due reverence. The painting that you see on this page captures the Lord Adinath in all His divine glamour.
He is chaturbhujadhari, the one possessed of (‘dhari’) four (‘chatur’) arms (‘bhuja’). His legs are gathered in the finest padmasana – the hips-and-knees trifecta are on the same plane, and the heels of His upward-facing feet are touching each other directly below the navel. This is the classical stance of Lord Adinath. The pristine tejas of His body contrasts with the glimmering gold of His halo. An omniscient face that gazes upon every student of yoga with infinite compassion.
Beneath the seat of Shiva is a thousand-petalled lotus. It is symbolic of the sahasrara chakra, above which the Lord is shown to rise. The solid-coloured jewel-tone of the blue background is an unusual colour and brings out the soft pastel hues in the foreground. The central seated figure is flanked by Nandi, His trusted companion and vahana, and Lord Ganesha, His son who is as widely revered as Himself.
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