Jain Journal 1970 10

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

Page 45

OCTOBER, 1970
89
brought to the king whose favour he won with his clean breast confession. The king promised to give him any amount of gold that he wanted. He only wanted a few minutes' time to ponder. He went on multiplying his demands in his mind till he came to ten thousand pieces of gold. Then suddently the true wisdom dawned upon him and he said :
jahā lāho tahā loho lāhā loho pavaddhai
domāsakayam kajjam kodie vi na nitthiyam 8/17 The following couplet has not been derived from a sermon that Kapila had heard from some preceptor, rather it bursts forth from the suffering of his own heart :
no rakkhasisu gijjhejjā gamdavacchäsu negacittāsu
jāo purisam palobhittā khellamti jahã va dāhehim 8/18 The ascetic has been advised to shun women almost everywhere in religious canons. But these lines specifically describe a heartfelt embitterment. The women are demonesses, vampires, outwardly attractive but chameleonic at heart.
When we come to the ballad of Rajimati and Rathanemi we find quite a different situation. Here it is the man who attempts to drag the woman in the quagmire of worldly life. Rathanemi seated in a lonely cave finds before him his elder brother's once betrothed Rajimati in her nudity. The ascetic is beset with a moment of trial when he has to steady himself on the edge of a sword. But he fails. His failure is a human failure. Rajimati, however is made of sterner stuff. She kicks at this ravenous desire of man and bursts out in most powerful poetry
jai si rūveņa vesamano laliena nalakuvaro
tahā vi te na icchāmi jai si sakkham purandaro 22/41 and under its mighty impact the shaking determination of Rathanemi is once again steadied.
In chapter 14 also we have a very delicate situation. The sentiment of pathos . reaches its culmination here. Bhrgu Brahmin finds that his two sons are bent upon renouncing the world. He tries to dissuade them by various arguments drawn from Brahmanical canons but they give suitable replies to all these. His sons do renounce inspite of all his admonitions. Now he feels like a tree without its branches or like a bird without its wings. He too renounces inspite of all the attempts of his wife to prevent him. Vasisthi, Bhrgu's wife, who is now left alone, follows them. The king hearing of the renunciation of the whole family decides to usurp their property but is timely cautioned by his queen.