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A CRITICAL STUDY OF PAUMACARIYAN
56. The previous births of Layana, Ankusa and Siddhārtha or
The story of Priyankara, Hitankara and Sudarśană :
Following the account of the previous births of Rāma, Sītā and Vali, Muni Sakalabhūşaņa narrated this story in reply of the further inquiry made by Vibhişaņa (104.1-34) to illustrate the fruits of having affection for others and the results of offering gifts to the monks.
Two brahmin Vasunanda and Sunanda, the sons of Vamadeva of Syāmalinagara on account of offering gifts to a certain monk were reborn in the Uttarakuru then as celestial beings in the Ibana Kalpa and then as Priyalikara and Hita ikara, being the sons of Rativardhana and queen Sudarśanā at Kākandipura. Rativardhana was approached by Vijayāvali, the wife of his minister Sarvagupta to enjoy with her, but the king refused to transgress the laws of moral condnct. Sarvagupta suspecting her wife's infidelity set fire to the palace of Rativardhana, but the latter along with his wife and sons escaped the consequences by stealthily disappearing from the palace. He went to Banaras where Kaśyapa reigned. Sarvagupta occupied the whole territory of Rativardhana and attacked Kaśyapa. He wanted to bring the latter under his suzerainty. Rativardhana and Käspaya having allied together subdued Sarvagupta and made him flee away into a forest. Rativardhana occupied his ancestral territory and in due course he became a monk. Vijayāvali who had been already divorced by Sarvagupta became a Raksasī and disturbed Muni Rativardhana, but the monk remained calm and absorbed in meditation and he attained Kevala. Priyankara and Hitankara after having renounced the world were reborn in the Graiveyaka Vimāna and descending from there they were reborn as Lavana and Ankusa. Sudarśanā, the wife of Rativardhana after passing through various existences was reborn as Siddhārtha, the teacher of Lavana and Arkusa. Siddhārtha then made them proficient in various arts on account of his previous affection for them.
The PCR (108. 1-52) mentions Vamadeva as Dāmadeva. The PCS (85. 1-2) drops the story of Vijayāvali and Sarvagupta and does not narrate the rebirth of Sudarśanā. It mentions Sudeva for Sunanda, Kākandipura for Syāmalīnagara and names the wife of Vāmadeva as Syāmali. In other details it agrees with the PCV. The RPS (p. 191) mentions Vāmadeva. The TSP (IV. 340) follows the PCV, but does not give the episodes of Sarvagupta and Rativardhana and the obstruction caused by the Rākşasī (Vijayāvali) to muni Rativardhana.
