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Shri Mahavir Jain Aradhana Kendra
www.kobatirth.org
Acharya Shri Kailassagarsuri Gyanmandir
(9) The verse recited by the child before the king occurs in LPS and PPS
A versions only, but it definitely offers significance to the king's adopt
ing him as his son. (10) A significant incident causing jälismarana is given by I.PS alone.
PPS A version is unique in inserting Srimata's announcement and sending a man to Arbuda It also adds that, when mature, she lived in dispaic since nobody liked to marry her. Likewise, PPS B version differs from all the rest by stating that the princess lietscli went to Arbuda cala and threw the monkey-head in the kunda. PC and VIK state that the Yogir, while passing through the air, beheld der and, having descended, asked for her hand. According to I'PS A version, however, lie was praclising penance on the same mountain. The other (io Versions arc silent on the point. The PC and VTK versions do r.ot name the yogin, while PTS A calls him Rasiaa ta pasvin, PPS B names him as Rasiyrika and LPS gives his name as
Rasiyalah ihayatshah. (12) "The versions differ in tlie description of his death also. PC and VTK
say that having enticed him to go to her for inarriage ceremony placing aside his tudent, Srimat à troubled him with dog's produced through miraculous power, and struck bim dead with his trident. P!'S B version dues not refer to the trident at all and states that, being troubled by the dogs, he died of heart-barsting; while PPS A version does not mention even the dogs and suply states that, shocked at the artificial cock-crow, he died olieart-bursting. Our text, on the other hand, cuts short the interesting incident in a senter ce of Uree words
only viz. Rasiyako dha'vļakaḥ stanibhitun. (13) PPS A is unique in stating that Srimata, repenting on the Yogin's
death, ( committed suicide) by entering the Vaišvadeva-fire. (14) The VEK version coincides with PC version in most of the details,
strikingly resembling it even in the wordings, to such an extent that one is tempted to deem it as the version of the PC put into verse,
The above observations lead us to the conclusion that none of these versions preceded the version of our text, which, as in the case of other prabardhas, represents the oldest stratum of the story in view of the language, style and depiction of the story as such. The othet versions are enlarged and polished ones, while the PPS B version contains briel jottings from one or more other accounts of the story either read by the author somewhere or heard by him through oral tradition,
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