________________
18 The Jaina Antiquary
[Vol. XIV child was born, the queen thought it fit to put it in a small box with the names of the king and the queen written in a script within it and to let it float away in a river. It was given out that the queen gave birth to a dead child. It so happened that a merchant had no child so that when he saw the box in the river and looked at its contents, he carried the child to his wife. The merchant and his wife brought up the child with great care and fondness. But the boy grew to be very mischievous and every one dreaded him When he came of age, he was given over to prince Basudeva as one of his attendants. Both Basudeva and Kamsa loved each other dearly and with the former, the latter learnt the arts of warfare.
King Jarāsandha of Magadha was acknowledged to be the fore. most of the ruling chiels of those days and his wish or order was not to be disobeyed on any account. One day he sent an order to king Samudra-Vijaya to bring to him king Simha-ratha of Simhapura bound hand-and-foot. King Jarasandha declared at the same time that whoever would succeed in complying with his order would get the hands of his daughter, Jivad-yasā together with any kingdom he would pray for. King Simha-ratha was a mighty monarch but king Jaritsandha also was by no means to be displeased. King SamudraVijaya accordingly prepared for a war on Simha-ratha, when Basudeva implored him for being permitted to lead the invasion. King Samudra-vijaya granted his prayer and Basudeva «marched against Simharatha with Kamsa. A great battle ensued in which Simha ratha was defeated and Kamsa took the lead in binding him hand-and-foot. King Jarīsandha was satisfied but Samudra-vijaya did not like that his brother would marry Jivad.yaśā because he had heard of a prediction that that princess would be the cause of ruin of both her husband's and her father's families. Kamsa, ont he other hand, was known to have come of a comparatively low-caste merchant family, so that an offer of marriage of the princess of Magadha with Kamsa would but greatly irritate Jarāsandha. At this juncture, the reputed merchant-father of Kamsa appeared with the script and on a reference to queen Dhūrini of Mathurā, it was established that Kamsa belonged to the respected clan of the Yādavas. King Jară. sandha gladly gave his daughter in marriage to him. Kamsa, however, burnt with rage against his parents, when he came to know
