Book Title: Jambu Jyoti
Author(s): M A Dhaky, Jitendra B Shah
Publisher: Kasturbhai Lalbhai Smarak Nidhi Ahmedabad

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Page 354
________________ Sanskrit Sub-story and Subhāṣitas in the Prakrit.... But a far-sighted minister Taitali informed the queen Manorama about all this, and took away a new-born son and replaced him by his own daughter named Mantrapriyä just after his birth to his place since both the queen and minister's wife gave birth to their children on the same day. Having known that the newly born child was a daughter, the king did not kill her, and his son named Padma began to grow as the son of the minister and gradually mastered all the arts and crafts in due course. The queen Rasană used to fondle her son secretly, but when asked by the king Mahāpadma she spoke the truth to him, Now, once the father king Megharatha broke loose from the captivity and rushed to kill his son, and in the fight both of them killed one another, and roamed in the cycle of transmigration. Then, the Samsāri-jīva was born as a daughter named Lakṣmīvati of Dhanyā in the city of Viśālā. But just after her marriage, she became, by ill-luck, a widow. In view of her consideration about blame and character, she studied numerous works about the Jaina tenets, and consequently the enemies like Krodha and Lobha etc., left her and she became steadfast in Samyaktva, controlled her senses, ever enthusiastic for listening to Jainistic tenets and performing religious vows. If she continues in this way she will, after death, go to the city of Nirvṛti or Anuttara-vimāna. 343 When this report was given to king Moharāja, he stroke his moustache and challenged his feudal chieftains to come forward to capture the widow and make her obedient to him. All of them remained quiet, but there arose. a mystic woman named Vitatha and took up the gauntlet, and she was entrusted with the task. She went to Lakṣmivati and entered her body. As a result, Lakṣmīvati was totally changed in nature, and started leaking political secrets, criticising the conduct, dress, language, environment, etc. of various countries irrelevantly and indulging in gossip. And she forgot the study of the scriptures and all knowledge that she had acquired. Once she talked about an impossible scandal pertaining to king Viśvasena, and it spread among people. Ultimately it reached the ears of the king who traced its source to her, and the enraged king punished her by cutting off her ears and lips, and excommunicated her. While roaming in a forest, she was bitten by a snake and she died, and was born as a being in the Fourth Hell. Then, this same Samsäri-jiva was born as a prince named Narasundara, the son of king Rājasimha. In young age he studied arts and having listened to religious discourse of a well-wishing preceptor, became detached and Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

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