Jain Journal 1969 07

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

Page 35

JAIN JOURNAL
Once seeing gods proceeding towards Nandisvara Island, Srikantha also started in order to pay homage to the Jina. With his retenue, he reached Manusottara Parvata but his further movement was checked. So he returned to his city, handed over his kingdom to his son and entered the holy order to practise austerities so that he could get qualified to enter Nandisvara. Successively eight kings in his line took the same course.
Amaraprabha, the ninth king, flourished during the interval between the Jinas Vasupujya and Sreyamsa. On the occasion of his marriage with the princess of Lanka, somebody executed the drawings of the monkeys in his courtyard. When the king became angry, the ministers told him that since the days of Srikantha, they were our family deities, cause of our prosperity and emblem for our dynasty. On hearing this the king became remorseful and gave orders to mark the royal crown, the royal umbrella, banners, etc., with the monkey insignia. Since then his line became famous as the Monkey dynasty.
There were several kings in succession both at Lanka and at the Vanara-dvipa. When the scene shifts, we have Sukesa on the throne of Lanka and Praticandra on the throne at the Vanara-dvipa.
Praticandra had two sons, Kiskindha and Andhraka. Once they heard about the syayamvara of Srimala, the daughter of Vidyamandara, the king of Adityanagara on the Southern Range and went there. It so happened that the princess chose Kiskindha and placed the garland round his neck. This enraged Vijayasimha, the leader of the Vidyadharas who declared :
abbhantare vijjahara varāhun paisāru dinnu kim vannarāhun uddalaho vahu varaittu hanaho vāṇara vamsayarūho kandu khanaho
“Who did allow the Monkeys to take seats in the midst of the Vidyadharas? Take away the bride and kill the groom and wipe out the line of the Monkeys."
Thereupon Andhraka challenged Vijayasimha to a fight and there ensued a battle between the two parties. Sukesa, the king of Lanka, also arrived on the scene. When Vijayasimha was killed in the battle, Sukesa asked his allies to return to Kiskupura with Srimala.