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JAINA LITERATURE IN TAMIL
103
Yet one Sentence of the Law were better Which if a man hear he is at peace.
Though one should conquer a thousand times a thousand men in battle,
Yet would he be the mightiest conqueror Who should conquer one himself.
Nilakēšī, which is one of the five minor kāvyas in Tamil, is evidently an answer to Kundalakēsi, the Buddhistic work. As is suggested by the author himself, the story is not taken from among the Purāņic stories. The story is probably an imaginative creation by the author merely to serve as a frame-work for introducing philosophical discussions. The work has not seen the light of day up to the present. The present writer is trying to bring out an edition of this rare classic which is in press. In the course of a few months it may be made available to the public'.
The story begins with a scene laid in Pāñcāla-dēša which is otherwise known as Pārtti-nādu. The king of the land is referred to be Samudrasāra and his capital is Pundravardhana. On the outskirts of this city there is a cremation ground which goes by the name of Pālālaiyam. There is also a famous Kāli temple there. Just about the Kālī temple there is a Jaina yõgin called Municandra. One day people from the town brought as offering to the Kāli a number of beasts and birds. The Jaina ācārya asked them the reason for this extraordinary sacrifice. In answer they gave that these animals and
1. Since edited by him.
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