Chakkammuvaeso

Author(s): Madhusudan Modi
Publisher: Oriental Institute

Page 62

Liii
[Sandhi : 4:]
[K. 1]. The worship of the Jina with rice is extolled here. There was a town named Sripura in Bharata; and a King named Srikänta ruled there. He had a wife Śridevi by name. There was a mango tree before the Jina-temple in the garden outside. A couple of parrots lived there. The she-parrot was pregnant; and she desired to have the ears of paddy. [K. 2.] The parrot told her that the paddy-field was well kept under guard by the king and the king would cut the head of the thief if caught. She in anger told him that his love was artificial (The poet then speaks of the evils of women) and that he wanted her to die. So insisted, the parrot, in spite of the guards seeing him, stole the paddyears and gave them to her. [K. 3] Once when the king saw one part of the field without paddy-cars, he rebuked the guard. The guard told him that the parrot used to steal away paddy-ears. The king sternly replied to catch him and hack him to pieces. The guard brought the parrot as a captive before the king. The she-parrot also followed and told the king that the parrot stole the paddyears to fulfil her pregnancy-desire and appealed to the king to release him. The king asked the parrot why he, so wise, followed a woman's wish. [K. 4.] The she-parrot replied that people undertook any task for women and that the king. himself was prepared to die for his wife. She asked him why he, a human, should find fault with a bird. The king was surprised that the she-parrot knew about the incident of his life. [K. 5.] The king requested the she-parrot to tell the incident. She told him the story: -
There was a woman-ascetic in his town. His queen Sridevi, won her favour and requested her that she should do something that her husband would love her only above everything. The woman-ascetic offered her some herb to give him in food or drink. But the queen replied that his food or drink were not under her control. So she gave her the incantation for husband's love. Under its influence, when the king came, he offered the queen everything to do as she liked. [K. 6.] The queen again approached the woman-ascetic and told. her of the complete attachment of her husband but she said that she wanted to know that if she died, her husband would die also with her. The woman-ascetic gave her two medicines. By smelling one, she would appear dead though alive and by the other, she would gain her life back. [K. 7.] She told her that she should not be afraid as she would be there to avert any harm. The king then saw her dead. The physician was called and could do nothing. The king swooned but on gaining senses, he wished to die with her on the same pyre. [K. 8.] The ministers pursuaded him but he did not wish to live without her love and went to the burning-place to immolate himself on her pyre. [ K. 9.] In the meantime, the woman-ascetic came there running and said that she would revive her. The woman-ascetic did what she said. The king was very much