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PRINCE MEHA
101
chastity and a fast for three days', always bearing in mind the god, my former companion. Then the god, my former companion, will fulfil my step-mother, Queen Dháriņi's desire for untimely clouds.
Resolving thus he cleaned the Posaha-room and its closet, sat on a grass-seat, and taking upon him the vow of three days' fast, abode there bearing in mind the god, his former companion.
20. Then the god, Abhaya's former companion, appeared before him. Being requested by Prince Abhaya, he brought about untimely clouds.
21Then Queen Dháriņi duly satisfied her longing for untimely clouds, and, after nine complete months, brought forth a boy named Meha3.
Then the parents of Prince Meha performed in due order and with great eclat the rites of namegiving, feasting, walking and shaving the head.
22, Then when Prince Meha was in his eighth year, his parents brought him to' a teacher of the arts on an auspicious tithi, Karaña and hours. The teacher of the arts trained Prince Meha and taught him the seventy two arts of which writing is the first,
1. io. the vow of taking eighth meal. The Jains, like other Hindus, take two meals daily. The practice here referred to, therefore, consists in taking only one meal in every four days, or fasting for three days and a half at a time. The meal is taken on the evening of the fourth day.
2. Lit. place for voiding faces and urine. Uccára =Páli ukkára.
3. So called after the Dohala of untimely clouds (Megha).
4. The tithi is a lunar day, i.e., the period in which the moon recedes from the sun by twelve degrees. The Karana is a half tithi, the muhúrtta, or 'hour,' forty-eight minutes.
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