Page Text
________________
(vi)
The story rounds up the eight births which starts with king Yasodhara of Ujjain who had sacrificed the flour-cock with view to obtain the grace of deity, before he accepted the Jaina ordination, at the instance of his mother Candramati. His wife Amṛtamati was attached with crook-backed Mahadatta. The matter was somehow disclosed and eventually he and his mother were then killed by his queen Amṛtamati with offering the poisonious comfits (modakas). Both the king and his mother died and took up the births as dog and peacock respectively in the same palace, Peacock beheld Amṛtamati copulating with Mahadatta and expressed its resentment by making efforts to demage his eyes. As a result he was bitterly beaten by Amṛtamati and then eaten by the dog, who was also killed by the prince. Both then became serpent and mongoose, crocodile and milter, shegoat and her son, buffalo and he-goat and two cocks respectively. One day the cocks came across the Jaina sage Sudatta and perceived their own prebirths and hence cried out of repentance. They were then killed by prince Yasomati, the son of Yasodhara and got births as his son Abhayaruci and daughter Abhayamati.
One day Yasomati paid a visit to Sudattacārya along with his family members and enquired about their ancestors' whereabout. Sudatta placated them and replied through his Divyajñāna that his grand-father Yasorgha was enjoying the heaven life and your mother Amṛtamati was leading her life in hell and your father and grand-mother took births as your son and daughter, Abhayaruci and Abhayamati. On having known all these facts Yasomati and his son and daughter Abhayaruci and Abhayamati left the worldly life and accepted the Jaina ordination.
King Maridatta became then Jain Muni and his son ordered not to kill any body hereafter. It is remarkable that the story commences and ends with conversation between Maridatta and Kşullaka-yugala Abhayaruci and Abhayamati. The entire story is narrated into a verse by Somadeva in the Yasastilakacampü (P. 259, utta) as follows:
| SR No. | 002236 |
| Book Title | Yashodhar Charitam |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Bhagchandra Jain |
| Publisher | Sanmati Research Institute of Indology |
| Publication Year | 1988 |
| Total Pages | 184 |
| Language | Hindi, Sanskrit |
| Classification | Book_Devnagari |
| File Size | 4 MB |