Life in Ancient India as Depicted in Jain Canons

SR No.: 011077
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Jagdishchandra Jain
Publisher: New Book Company
Publication Year: 1947
Total Pages: 429
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 16 MB

Page 59

CENTRAL ADMINISTRATION
CO-WIVES
Therc were jealousies and rivalries among the co-wives in the harcm and so the harem had its own internal politics. The Vivă gasuya refers to king Mahasena of Supaittha, who had one thousand queens. The prince Sihasena is said to have married five hundred girls, of whom Sāmā was the chief and the prince's favourite. The prince Sihasena who had become a king now, was so fond of Sāmá that he neither cared for nor took any notice of the other queens. When the mothers of the neglected queens came to learn of the unhappiness of their daughters they plotted among themselves to put qucen Sāmā to death. When the king came to know of this he caused to be built a great mansion and issued invitations to the mothers of the neglected queens. After sometime the king shut all its doors and set fire to it.57 Then we read about Revai, who was the chief among the thirteen wives of Mahāsayaya of Rāyagiha. She could not enjoy fully the company of her husband owing to her twelve co-wives. So she is said to have disposed of six of them by means of weapons and the rest by means of poison. The commentary on the Uttaradhyayana mentions king Jiyasattu of Khiipaitthiya, who married a painter's girl named Kanayamañjari. The king had many other queens and he visited them by turns. Once it was the turn of Kanayamañjari who told him nice stories, and dctained him for six months. The king was very much pleased with her and exclusively devoting himself to the pleasure of love with her alone, he passed the time. Upon this her co-wives became enraged against Kanayamañjari and sought for an opportunity to take revenge on her. One day the Co-wives made a complaint to the king against Kapayamañjari saying that she was working some evil spell against him. The king made inquiries and he was pleased with the prudence of his beloved. The king made her the mistress of the whole kingdom and invested her with a frontlet (patta).
Very often thc queens were jealous of the sons of their co-wives. When king Gunacanda, after the death of his father, came to the throne of Sākcta, his step-mother felt suspicious of him and sent him a poisonsmearcd sweet-meat ball (moyaga) to cat. At that time Gunacandra's two step-brothers also were present there. He divided the moyaga in two and gave cach of them. Soon after eating this thc boys werc affected by poison and thc physicians were called for treatment. Then we hear of the jealous step-mother of Kuņāla who caused his step-son's eyes to be put out by her strategem. We also comc across instances when a king was poisoned by his own quccn. We are told that when
67 p. 51 f. 58 Urā., 8, p. 62. $0 p. 141 a f,cf. also Supāta Jāsaka (No. 300), III, p. 21. 60 Ava, cū, p. 402 o Brh. Bhi., 1. 3275.