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you should be kind enough to fulfil her desire, which is my desire as well. The god said Amen to this and assured Krsna that a certain god who had just completed his period of stay in the devaloka would be born to Devaki as her son and Krsna's younger brother. But the god also added that the new born child would be keen on taking orders as a Jain monk at the hands of Aristanemi. With these words of prophecy the god disappeared.
Vasudeva Krsna went back to his mother and assured her that a son would soon be born to her and all her maternal desires and affection would be fulfilled and that she would no longer have any reason to feel aggrieved.
Devaki one night saw a lion in a dream and she woke up. All these supernatural signs convinced her that she had conceived. All
at she now had to do was to wait patiently for the normal period of pregnancy to be over.
The child that was born to her was a son. He showed on his body the lustre of the sun and his limbs had the tenderness of flowers. King Vasudeva and Devaki celebrated the birth of the child and on the tenth day gave him the name Gajasukumāla; he was as tender as the sole of an elephant's foot. Devaki had the pleasure of feeding the child, of watching the childish activities which all mothers enjoy and she was altogether an immensely happy and satisfied mother. The young boy's growth was quick and healthy and when he was of the proper age, he was given the right type of education in a variety of arts and sciences. As a young man he was as handsome as a god and his parents were now eager to get a bride for him.
In the same town, there lived a Brahmin family: Somila, his wife Somas ri and their daughter called Somā. The Brahmin was a great scholar in Vedas and other scriptures. Somā was a beautiful young lady. Once as Kisna and his younger brother Gajasukumāla were on their way to see Aristanemi and pay homage to him, they happened to see Somā playing on the road with a golden ball. Krsna was struck by her beauty and quickly decided that he would request her father to consider his proposal for marriage of the girl with his younger brother. He accordingly sent a royal messenger to the
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| SR No. | 006762 |
| Book Title | Treasury of Jain Tales |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | V M Kulkarni |
| Publisher | Shardaben Chimanbhai Educational Research Centre |
| Publication Year | 1994 |
| Total Pages | 468 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 17 MB |