Jain Journal 1968 07

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 10

JULY, 1968
drowning, death by poisoning or by weapons, death by hanging or by piercing by wild birds or death in wilderness. Interestingly enough, death by accident which takes a heavy toll these days was non-existent and un-anticipated at that date. Likewise, a widow is described as one whose husband is dead, who became so even in childhood, who has been divorced, who is sheltered by parents or people in her father-inlaws house, who has forsaken flowers, scents, garlands and jewellery, who keeps not her person clean and pure by bathing, who eats not milk, curd, butter, oil, molasses, salt, honey, liquor or meat, and whose want, endeavour and attachments are reduced and limited. The same process is repeated for each item of the discourse. Most interesting, however, is the list of 72 arts which may be comparable with similar arts mentioned in the Brahmanic literature and which include such widely diverse items as the game of dice or beauty-counselling at one extreme to the knowledge regarding sound or motion of the planets at the other.
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The dominant theme of the second Upanga called Rajapraśniya is, as the title indicates, a dialogue contained in the second half between Kesikumara, the head of the followers of Parsva and an unscrupulous king Paesi of Seyaviya, ultimately ending in the latter's conversion and ascent to the abode of gods, wherefrom he descends with his followers to pay his respect to Mahavira and performs dramatic arts before him with his troupe which is the opening part of this Upanga. The scene is set in the city of Amalakappa where the aforesaid god Suryabhadeva descends. There is a hearty description of his vimana (aeroplane), a list of sixty musical instruments used for the occasion and thirty two varieties of dramatic performances, the last one being the life history of Mahavira presented before the Lord himself. The performance, but more than that the wealth which the god commanded, must have been a source of amazement, since so much could only be acquired by those who were spiritually favoured. But still greater amazement would be caused by Mahavira's attending a dramatic performance that too on his own life, which any contemporary Jaina monk would abhor. The second part therefore delineates the antecedent of the god which is as follows:
There was a city called Seyaviya whose king was Paesi. He was notorious for his impious acts and ill-temper. He had no respect for elders, preceptors or śramaṇas and was always out to torture his subjects. It was his son Suryakanta, who used to see the affairs of the state. He had a charioteer named Citta who was clever and was a master of the art of state-craft. King Paesi used to take advice from him on important state affairs. There was another city called Sravasti where ruled king Jita