Book Title: Jain Shwetambar Conference Herald 1915 Book 11 Jain Itihas Sahitya Ank
Author(s): Mohanlal Dalichand Desai
Publisher: Jain Shwetambar Conference
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Narrative Literature of the Jainas.
233
female slave, and placed him on her bosom. But her own son, who was dead, she placed on my busom. And when I rose in the morning in order to suckle my son, I saw that he was dead and when I examined him in bright daylight, I discovered, that he was not my own son, whom I had born And the other woman replied to her: 'What you say is not true; your son has died, and mine is alive.' But the first said again: 'You lie ! For my son lives, and yours has died.' And in this manner they quarrelled before the king. Then the king said: “This woman says: "My son is living,' and the other replies: No, your son has died, but mine is living.' And the king continued: “ Bring me a sword !' and when they had brought a sword before the king, he said: 'Cut the living baby asunder, and give one half to each of these women.' Thereupon the woman to whom the living child belonged said to the king-for her heart was upset, as she loved her son—' Hear me, O my Lord ! Give her the living child, but have not killed it!' But the other woman said: 'Let it be neither mine nor yours! Cut it asunder!' Then the king replied and said: 'Give the living baby to this woman, and do not kill it. For she is its mother.'
There can scarcely be any doubt, that this story was transferred from elsewhere on King Solomon. We are not yet able to say, where it originated, but it appears that it is well motivated in the Juina version only. Here the step-mother wishes to come into her husband's whole fortune; but according to Indian law this fortune belongs to the widow only in case she is the mother of a son begotten on her by her husband. This feature which is quite essential to make the proceeding of the stedpmother intelligible, is corroborated by the north Buddhistic version given above. In the version of the old Testament, on the other hand, it is incomprehensible, (1) Why a harlot so eagerly craves for a son, and (2) why, at the same time, she has no objection whatsoever to his being killed.
So it is most probable that the Jaina version of this story which more than 2000 years ago was known not only
