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A Passage from Haribhadra's Samarādityakathā
Among the numerous works in Jain Māhārāstrī, the Samarādityakathā of Haribhadra undoubtedly occupies a prominent place. But in the absence of a close study of this masterpiece of a great poet and scholar, many of its beauties remain hidden from us. A number of passages from his work are in need of a closer interpretation and explanation. As a striking example I discuss here a small passage from the sixth Bhava of this work, which must be explained in a manner different from the attempts made so far and which reveals a fine sense of humour and resourcefulness on the part of Haribhadra.
Dharana, the hero of the story, who is married to Laksmī, his inveterate enemy of many previous births, passes through many adventures. Once while he is sleeping in a temple outside a town called Mahāsaras, along with his wife after an escape from danger, a thief enters the place to avoid being caught by the constables pursuing him for robbing the royal treasury. Dharana, due to the fatigue of the earlier day, is fast asleep and Laksmi alone becomes aware of the presence of the thief Candarudda. With a diabolic idea in her mind, she approaches him stealthily and wants to know from him his difficulty. Candarudda explains to her that he is being followed by the constables and he is hiding in the temple in order to escape them. Lakşmi promises to help him and explains her plan to abandon her real husband Dharana to the constables as the thief and eloping with Candarudda by claiming him as her husband in the presence of the king if need arises.'
To this suggestion Candarudda makes the following answer, at the same time refusing to follow her suggestion and giving reasons for it. His words are: (Candaruddena bhaniyam) / sundari, atthi eyam, kistu ahaṁ emha vatthavvao caucaranapadibaddho / ao viyāņāi me tam agahiyanāmam savvaloo ceva ettha mahiliyaṁ ti / The context makes it clear that the general sense of the passage is to point out the difficulties which Candarudda feels in claiming Lakşmi to be his wife in open court. For one thing, he is a resident of this place and naturally people know him rather well. Secondly he is
| SR No. | 006968 |
| Book Title | Amrita Collected Papers by A M Ghatage |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Jitendra B Shah |
| Publisher | Kasturbhai Lalbhai Smarak Nidhi Ahmedabad |
| Publication Year | |
| Total Pages | 530 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 10 MB |