Bruhat Katha kosha

Author(s): Harishen Acharya,
Publisher: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Page 53

22
BRHAT-KATHAKOŚA
and women even from royal families are getting themselves initiated into the order : the call of spiritual freedom is demanding a sort of religious recruit on a grand scale and thus swelling the ranks of ascetic legions. A few stories are given in full and the rest are to be mechanically multiplied. The story of Gayasukumāla is a typical ascetic tale illustrating penancial heroism and forbearance. The six male children of Devakï were transferred, through the divine courtesy of Hariņegamesī, to the lap of Sulasă and had entered the ascetic order. When Devaki was pining that no son was with her and even Krşņa visited her after six months, Krşņa obtained a boon by propitiating that very deity whereby Gayasukumāla was born to her. Despite persuasion to the contrary, the prince entered the order to the offence of his father-in-law Somila who felt that his daughter was neglected by him in her prime of youth. One day when he was practising penance on the burial ground, Somila, in a mood of revenge, prepared an earthen basin on his head and poured burning charcoal there The young monk patiently bore the pangs, successfully destroyed the Karman and attained liberation. Somila, however, died a premature death at the sight of Krşņa. This text supplies us with the information about the destruction of Dvärakā and the Yādava clan. The story of Mudgarapāņi taking the cudgel against the vagabonds that were ill-treating his devotees, the gardener Arjunaka and his wife Bandhumatī, is a fine piece of folk-tale to make people devoted to the village deities; but the fact that Mudgarapāņi is helpless against pious Sudarsana only shows how it is used to establish the superiority of Mahāvīra's followers. Arjuna is converted to the creed of Mahāvira; as a monk he patiently puts up with all insults and pains; and at last by his penances he attains liberation. The tale of prince Atimuktaka only shows how spiritual problems induced youths to enter the order of monks and have them solved by finally attaining liberation through penancial discipline.
The Aputtarovavăiya-dasão illustrates the stories of persons who attained highest heavenly mansions by practising penances. That of Dhanna is a typical story and shows how fasts played an important part in the discipline of ascetic life.
The Nirayāvaliyão gives us a graphic description of the birth of Kūņiya, the son of Seniya by his wife Cellaņā, who wanted to eat the flesh of her husband during the period of her pregnancy-longing; and somehow her step-son managed to fulfil her desire. She feared that the issue would be a bane to the dynasty; and in fact she tried to do away with the child but without seccess. As foreseen by her, Küņiya really grew into a wicked prince. He wanted to capture his father's throne during his life-time by putting him into prison; and he tried to wrest from his brother Vehalla the paternal gift to him of a necklace and an elephant. Vehalla, however, sought shelter with his maternal grand-father Cetaka who made alliance with nine Mallakis and nine Licchavis to defend the just cause of Vehalla against Kūniya and his ten step-brothers. In the great