________________
Brahmadatta Cakravart
The last cakravart of this avasarpi cycle, Brahmadatta, was born after the nirv a of Lord Ari anemi and before the birth of Lord P r van tha, that is, during the time cycle of Lord Ari nemi. The life of Brahmadatta was, on the one hand, akin to the darkness of a new moon night, full of extreme sorrows, and on the other, like the moonbeams on a full moon night in winter, full of worldly pleasures. The life of Brahmadatta gives a fearsome picture of an unintelligible course of wandering in a worldly life, which is very inspiring and rouses the feeling of disenchantment.
Brahmadatta was the son of the P mc la king Brahma and his queen Culan . Queen Culan saw the fourteen auspicious dreams signifying the birth at the time of conception and after her pregnancy period, gave birth to a son who had a stunning aura. Seeing the son's face the P mc la king felt happy as if he was taking a stroll in knowledge itself (Brahma), hence he named the child Brahmadatta. The P mc la king Brahma had
endships with the king of K , Ka aka, the king of Hastin pura Ka erudatta, the king of Kau ala D rgha and the king of Camp, Pu pac laka. These five friends used to live together for one year in each other's capitals. Once, as per this arrangement, the five gathered in the P mc la capital, K mpilyapura. The five friends were spending a happy time together in K mpilyapura when suddenly the king of P mc la Brahma died. Staying with the bereaved family of the king of P mc la, the four friends completed the last rites of King Brahma. At that time Brahmadatta was just 12-years old. Hence the four friends discussed and came to the conclusion that until such time as Brahmadatta becomes a young man, for each year one of the four kings would be the care-taker and protector of the P mc la kingdom. As per this arrangement, leaving the king of Kau ala, D rgha at K mpilyacity and rest three kings went to their respective kingdoms.
The king of Kau ala, D rgha gradually took over the treasury of the kingdom as well as the kingdom itself. Not just that, he ensnared his deceased friend Brahma's wife Culan in his web of love. Culan , too, giving up on the family's honour, started assisting D rgha. The prime minister of P mc la, Dhanu, got a sense of this illegitimate relationship and untrustworthy behaviour. He got a suspicion in his mind that blinded by lust, these two would sometime in future kill Brahmadatta, hence he
213
