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BĦĦAT-KATHÅKOŠA the village etc. (No. 55, see also No. 157); a go-between outwits the gatekeepers and brings the required lover to the queen (No. 60); and lastly an innocent cartman is duped by the villagers (No. 120). The tests put by Kșirakadambaka on the wisdom of his pupils (No. 70 ) are certainly a few amusing bits from popular stories. There is no piece of folk-tale which is foreign to our author and which cannot be improved upon for religious edification, if it can be made to illustrate the virtue which he wants to preach. There are other contexts which give interesting insight into the complicate workings of human mind at times plainly illustrated and at times symbolically put : we come across an avaricious merchant (No. 104), a greedy maternal uncle (No. 105), a treacherous wife (Nos. 85, 87), à jealous cowife (No. 86), a noble and self-sacrificing husband (No. 85), a passionate monk (Nos. 81, 95, 98), a loving mother (No. 145) etc.; and once a lover, endowed with miraculous power, converts himself into a bee and hovers round the face of his beloved (No. 8o). Then it is some technical terms, on account of their specific and obscure meanings, that have given rise to a few anecdotes: vişānna= special, rich and flavoury food which gives physical strength, lustre and vigour (No. 6. 20); yauvana = warmth or freshness of food (No. 14. 13); mași = husked and fresh mudga beans (No. 24. 37); and collaka = a specified dish (No. 35. 34-5).
The chief object of most of these tales is to edify Jainism and impress on the minds of readers the greatness and power of Jaina religion, and thus propagate in the society the religio-moral ideals upheld by Jainism. These are not purely dogmatical and ethical discourses, but after all they are tales; and as such they are strewn with secular topics which also provide instruction and often give an agreeable entertainment.
iii) Cultural Heritage and Literary Kinship of this Work
In the light of the Vedic and śramaņic ideology, the outlines of which have been already sketched in short, a dispassionate evaluation of the contents of this Kathakośa definitely points to the fact that they stand for Sramanic ideology. The Vedic cult of sacrifice, the priestly religion and rituals, the epic mythology and the doings of Purānic deities and personalities are referred to in this work only to be criticised and condemned. On the other hand, nearly all the traits of Sramaņic ideology, as inherited by Jainism, are admirably upheld throughout this book. The doctrines of rebirth and Karman are illustrated almost by every lengthy tale. The worldly possessions and pleasures have their worth, but it is low and ephemeral as compared with the bliss of Nirvāpa. In these tales are introduced the Tirthakaras and eminent teachers who disillusion the worldlyminded people about their manifold attachment with the result that they grow pessimistic, are inspired by an optimistic disposition towards liberation, enter the ascetic order, and practise a severe monastic course putting up with all sorts of hardships. They have very little attachment even for
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