________________
Nāsaketari Kathā
527
which has no parallel in BeFi, agrees with what is told V.P. CCVIII. 8-11, and can only be understood, if the whole situation described in V.P. is well-known. Moreover, the strange question of Nārada in Si XVI.15-17 and Yama's affirmation in XVI.24-25 directly seem to point towards relations to V.P. CCVIII 3, 5-6, and 7, where the radiant and powerful king of the lower world changes his colour out of fear and anger, when the ascetics pass over his head and tear down his wreaths:
vivarṇavādino rājā prabhātejovivarjjitaḥ/
acirād eva sañjātaḥ krodhena bhṛṣaduḥkhitaḥ // 3 // api tvaṁ bhrājamānastu paśoḥ patirivā’paraḥ /
kasmāt te sobhanaṁ vaktraṁ kṣaṇād vaivarṇatāṁ gataḥ // viniśvasan yathā nāgah kasmāt tvaṁ paritapyase/ rājan kasmād bibheṣitvam etad icchāmi veditum // 5-6 // vivarṇam jāyate vaktraṁ śuṣyate na ca (sic!) samsayaḥ / yan mayā īdṛśaṁ dṛṣṭaṁ śrūyatām tanmahāmune // 7 //
Such relations would be possible under the supposition that Si goes back to a recension of Näsiketopākhyāna in which the above episode was told in a way corresponding to that of V.P., and that some later story-teller, who laid more stress on Yama's anger than on his fear, related that his face turned black with wrath instead of pale with fear, whereas the rest of his body remained radiant as before. The particulars mentioned in Si XVI.8 'King Yama accompanied (him, or them) with good wishes for (his, or their ) arrival' even directly contradict that of the flight of Yama as told in BeFi, and would likewise presuppose the knowledge of the recension of V.P., according to which the pativrata at least (who is sitting in a celestial car together with her husband), is revered and honoured by Yama. That our compiler has confounded the pativrată ( who really appears) with the wife of King Janaka ( who is only told about) is not to be wondered at.
Jain Education International
6. 'it was Indra's property', cp. BeFi XVIII.16 'airāvatasamārūḍho devarājaḥ puraḥsthitaḥ /
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
