Gaudavaho

Author(s): Vakpatiraj, Narhari Govind Suru, P L Vaidya, A N Upadhye, H C Bhayani
Publisher: Prakrit Text Society Ahmedabad

Page 79

(Lxii) at the instance of his old friend Bappabhattisūri, played a trick and forced his opponent Vardhana-kuñjara to spit out by gargling the magic pill in his mouth and thus helped him to win his debating contest; as a result of which, in accordance with the agreement, king Dharma was forced to surrender his kingdom to king Ama. The Buddhist scholar complained against the treacherous conduct of Vākpati to king Dharma. In consideration of his long services, however, the king pardoned his servant, the Poet.
(ii) Afte some time, Yasodharmā, the king of a neighbouring country, defeated king Dharma of Laksanāvati in battle and took possession of his kingdom. He threw Vakpati into prison, where he wrote his Mahākāvya in Prakrit, called Gaudavaho and showed it to king Yasodharmā. The king, who was a good judge of merit, liberated the poet and begged his pardon. Being thus honourably set free, Vākpati went to Bappabhatti and became his great friend.
(iii) Bappabhatti had a great influence over king Ama, who was converted to Jainism by him. This king once asked Bappabhatti to see if he could bring about the conversion of Vākpati, who was then living at Mathurā as a Sanyāsin, practising austerities in the Varāha temple. Bappabhatti succeeded in his effort to make a convert of Vākpati to Jainism, because when he saw the image of Pārsvanātha in the temple built by king Ama, he was so impressed that he gave up his belief in Brahmanism and became at once a Jinarşi of the Svetāmbara sect. As he was old, he practised fast unto death (Anasana ), expired and went to the heaven. Bappabhatti was born in Vikrama 800 ( A. D. 744 ) and died in Vikrama 895 ( A. D. 839).