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150
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[MAY, 1913.
I have discovered two new later versions of the story in two MSS. belonging to the Indian collection in the R. Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale at Florence. The fact tbat both of them closely agree with Rajasekhara's account, as far as the form of the sentence is concerned, is a testimony to the greater popularity of that account in the Jaina tradition. Both the new versions are in bhasha. The first is derived from a MS, in the above mentioned Library, No. 539, 63 leaves, with 6 lines on each page. The MS. contains the Prakrit text of the Nandisutta with an anonymous fabá written in an old form of Gujarati, the orthographical features of which appear to have been somewhat modernized by the latest copyist, though so imperfectly that it still retains many obsolete words, forms and spellings. Such are: aftt, rute, fat, instrumentals with suffix .*(=o of the Apabhraica); T , corresponding to the Old Gujarati ant and to the A pabbramca TA ; , instrumental of the first personal pronoun like in the Old Gujarati and in the Apabhrama; fer, for , probably connected with the Apabhram ça faitu ; qrat locative form corresponding to the Apabhramça Trail, etc.
I give below the Gujarati text, in which I have corrected without remark all the most obvious blunders, but retained all orthographical incongruities, like beside y, which are possibly the result of a period of transition, during which both forms of spelling were legitimate. For the same reason, I have nowhere substituted and for and , as in Old Gujarati MSS. 4 is commonly written for and there is no particular sign for .
Text.
Translation.
A man had two wives. In the course of time T 969-at RİAT FIBA Eitt go the younger wife gave birth to a son. The
elder, however, used to feed him, to take care of spozit fou se
car
him, to amuse him, to make him sleep at her
side and do everything for him. He used to सर्व धक करे । ते निज माता जाण्इ। भले जिम तिम
take her for his own mother. Anyhow, the
child was growing up well. The child used to पुत्र बाधा छ। ते बालक बेहु पासे जाइ । इम करता
go near both of them. After two years had
elapsed in such a way, the father died. Some TR Ta# far ri i marr
days after, the mind of the co-wife grew pervertदिन-ने अंते सोक-नो मन विणठो जे ए बालक तो
ed," (for she thought to herself :) " This chila,
indeed, is fondly attached to me. Therefore I मुझ ने हल्यो छे । ते माटे ए पुत्र ए धन हुँ हाथ
will take to myself this child and this property,
and I will put my rival to a condition equal to कहै । ए सोकने दासी सम तुल्य करी राधू | पछे
that of a slave". Then she started a quarrel (by
affirming :) " It is I that am the mother of the बढवार मौडी उनी । पुत्र-नी माता हुँ धन नी धणि
child! It is I that am the owner of the property!"
The other one protested : "It is I that gave याणी । पेली कहे। पुत्र मर जायो घर-नी धणियाणी हैं।
birth to the child, so it is I that am the
mistress of the house!". In such a way an इम सोक-में झगडो जागो । वदती २ बेहु राजा पासे
altercation issued between the two co-wives.
Wrangling all the way, both the women went to T HERA FETT U PET the king and there both began to protest : "0
king! This child is mine and the money also is E arft 1916 fast-fertar - mine!" Then the king) caused both the co
wives to sit down, with the child seated on the RATATER
I 6 - aarat o ground betwixt, and ordered them: Call the
child ; to whom he will go near, that one is his are a gentarar 16-STATI G. mother." The child was called, but he went
near both of them and looked both in the face. (It *
SE REFIRAT NIE I 6 U was clear that the child could not distinguish
