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122. Säketasya vibhutim tam kumārah pariprstavān.
so 'pi bhattārakam pūrvam varnayitvä purum puram
the prince enquired of him about the power of Sāketa. He (the envoy), for his part, first depicted the mighty town as venerable,
123. paścâd vyāvarnavamāsa, prājñā hi krama-vedinah
śruvä tai tatra kim jätas tīrthakrn näma bandhanät
later he explained (?)!35: will a person of slow understanding, after learning that a proper tirthakrt has been born there, comprehend it because of the binding (of karma) (?) ?
124. esa eva punari16 muktim āpad ity upayogavān
sāksāt krta-nijâtīta-sarva-prabhava-samtatih
However, when one believes that just he has obtained deliverance, there is obviously a series of causes of all kinds (thereof) made in one's own past.
125. vijrmbhita-mati-jñāna-ksavôpasama-vaibhavät
labdha-bodhih punar laukāntika-deva-prabodhitah
Laukântikadevas, 137 however, become aware of perfect wisdom obtained by stopping the loss of understanding to a large extent through their greater intelligence.138
(0) and m(e) are easily exchanged. Or could it be a corruption of Bharuka- in eastern Turkestan (Lüders 1940: 5421.)? Horses from there were brought by Kabul merchants (Crooke 1906: 254 and 476).
135
Vvāvanavati is not in MW.
136 Thus the variant; text: purur which apparently makes no sense, but I do not know a solution. Reading urur 'the excellent one would at least give a good meaning and pu (pu) for u (w) are sometimes exchanged (Bhayani 1988: 117), but the sandhi would then hurt the metre.
12 Not in MW. On these see Kirfel 1920: 306.
13% The stanzas 124f. do not make sense in this context, for one expects after vs 123 the messenger's explanation. Also a transition to the prince's decision to become a renouncer is missing. The appearance of the Laukantikadevas is incomprehensible.
117