________________
of her bodily derangement! They said, “O worthy woman ! We know nothing about it". The nun then said, “If it be so, all of you go away from her, and let her be alone for sometime. This is not any ordinary illness, Neglecting it, will cause her death ". On hearing this, the family-members gave her a seat near Kanakavats and all of them went away. In the first place, the nun, assumed a meditative posture and began the repetition of Incanlations with great verbosity for a long time. She worshi. pped sorceresses with rice-grains and flowers, and repeatedly uttered the syllable “hum.” Then sitting very close to her, the pun narrated to her the account of the vanik youth like a great spell. On hearing this, Kanakāvati greatly delighted as if she had come to life again, began to tell her:-' worthy woman! now you are my sole authority in this matter, so please arrange matters in such a way that I niay have constant association with him.' She replied, O good girl ! I will do accordingly.” Then taking a folded packet of betel. leaves offered to her, the nun went away, and she narrated the entire accouni to the vanik youth. The mendicant nun was amply rewarded with excellent clothes and other articles. On the next day, she informed both of thew individually:-To-night, after the expiration of two praharas is an auspicious time. You should both of you go into the temple of Bhagavān Kusumāyuoba (Kāma-déva God of Love) and contract your marriage-ceremony there. Both of them mutually assented.
Now, Cărudatta, lamenting that his work was not accom plished, as he was prohibited from contracting marrlage with another girl by his family-members, went out at night from his bed-chamber, accompanied by his companion and slept in the temple of Kurumăyudha and when he was thinking about the lutility of the omen of the garland of his early experience after a very short sleep, Kanakavati, accompanied by the mendicant, came there before mid-night with slow steps unnoticed by the care-taker of the temple, with all the materials useful during marriage-reremony in her band; and worsbipped the image of Kusumāyudha, When she was moving about her hand in the
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org