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exclusively devoted to the problems of courtesans. The commentary mentions that when Dattaka was cheated by a courtesan, he refused to make love to another courtesan in spite of all the blandishments sanctioned by the science of erotics.
The Brhatkalpasūtra Baḥ refers to a picture gallery run by a courtesan. This reminds us of a similar gallery started by Amrapali. Here the story is about a courtesan well-versed in the sixty-four arts, who once commissioned the portraits of all kinds of men of different trades and professions as well as the methods of assuaging their fury when they were angry. Whosoever visited her was taken to the gallery and was given a sort of psychological test before she agreed to consort with him. Elsewhere in the Jñātādharmakatha (III.51-52) it is mentioned that the courtesan Devadatta of Champa used to go on picnics with her rich clients. With flowers and perfumes and exotic food they proceeded to the Nada lake and set up a temporary camp (thunamandavam) not far from the lake. Mounting the chariot with the courtesan Devadatta, they proceeded to the garden and sported in the lake, enjoyed the food and perfumes they had brought with them and slept with her, and in the afternoon they walked arm in arm with Devadatta and enjoyed the beauty of the garden.In Jain literature we often meet with courtesan of a folly character who belie the usual notions about the lust and greed of ordinary prostitutes. Kosa, a famous courtesan of Patliputra loved Sthulabhadra, and after his retirement from worldly life she refused to consort with anybody. When Sthualbhadra. (as a monk) returned to Patliputra, she listened to his sermons and became a śravikā. She, however, took the rather curious vow that she would not grant her favours to anyone except when forced to do so by the king. Similarly, Devadatta, a renowned courtesan of Ujjain, spurned the love of Achala, a rich merchant of the town became of her great love for the adventurous Muladeva. The protests of her mother were of no avail. She requested the king not to force anyone on her as she was determined to live with Muladeva alone. A ganika's position was respected by the king to such an extent that usually her claims were allowed to meet to her satisfaction.
According to Jain sources prostitution was so rampant in the country
तुलसी प्रज्ञा अंक 119
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| SR No. | 524614 |
| Book Title | Tulsi Prajna 2003 01 |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Shanta Jain, Jagatram Bhattacharya |
| Publisher | Jain Vishva Bharati |
| Publication Year | 2003 |
| Total Pages | 122 |
| Language | Hindi |
| Classification | Magazine, India_Tulsi Prajna, & India |
| File Size | 6 MB |