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A. CHAKRAVARTI :
the story of Cüļamaņi, a very important work included in the category of the five minor kavyas.
(3) Nilakēsi.-- This is also one of the five minor kāvyas which is evidently by a Jaina philosopher-poet about whom we know nothing. It is a controversial work dealing with the systems of Indian philosophy and it has an excellent commentary called Samayadivakara by one Vāmana-muni. This Vāmana-muni is the same as the author of another classic called Mērumandirapurāņam. Nilakesi appears to be a refutation of the Buddhistic work Kundalakësi which is unfortunately lost now. This Kindalakësi was included under the category of the five mahakavyas. Though the Tamil classic of this name is lost to the world, the story of Kundalakeši as found in the Buddhistic work is given below for the simple reason that the related story of Nilakeši is modelled after Kundalakēši and is intended to be a refutation of Kundalakėši's philosophy. The story of Kundalakeši is as follows, taken from The Buddhist Legends (H. O. S.).
A rich merchant of Rājagsha, it seems, had an only daughter who was about sixteen years of age, and she was exceedingly beautiful and fair to see. When women reach this age, they burn and long for men. Her mother and father lodged her on the topmost
1. The learned author has written and published a detailed introductory treatise on Neelakësi (Kumbakonam, 1936) making the contents of this work of great literary merit available to the world of scholars.
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