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344
N. M. Kansara
Jambū-jyoti
got initiated in Jaina monastical order. He studied all the Jaina scriptures, and this pleased the preceptor who conferred on him in due course the title of an 'ācārya'. He followed proper conduct, engaged himself in doing good to people, and defeated the debaters. Then, with all his army of religious merit, he went out of his fortress to fight out with king Moharāja to the finish. There was a fierce battle and ultimately the king was vanquished, and he accepted the life of restraint. The army of king Cãritra was afraid and ran away to a mountain fortress named Viveka. The Samsāri-jīva of Moharāja, on the other hand, got lazy in vows of restraint, meditation and vow of silence and neglected religious duties, thinking himself to be a learned man, an authority, a topmost poet, and took pride in having a multitude of disciples, and gradually slipped into luxurious way of living; when the disciples were sitting for listening to his discourse, he would indulge in sleep without worrying about his responsibilities. And, after some time, he lost all his knowledge of the scriptures. After death, he again subjected himself to roaming in the cycle of transmigration getting born in various species of insects, birds, and animals.
King Aparājita was highly astonished by this account of the Samsārijīva, and was curious about his whereabouts and fate at the moment. At this the Muni replied that he himself was the same saṁsāri-jīva. When the king asked him how he reached this state, he informed him that his soul was in due course born as Prince Arindama, the son of the Vidyādhara, king Bhānu in the city of Gaganavallabha. He mastered all lores and arts and out of curiosity went to Mahāvideha country where he happened to listen to a story of Tirthankara at the feet of Bhadrankara. When he came to recall his past births, he undertook a vow and, due to inspiration from his beloved Bhavitavyatā mounted an attack under the leadership of king Caritradharma, and routed Moharāja. Finally, the Muni revealed that all this is his own autobiographical account. And, he assured the king of his
ht future on the path of Kevala-jñana. And the king ruled for long time and prospered. Here the Sanskrit metrical narration also ends.
It is clear from the above story that the poet-author of the PPC has composed this allegorical sub-story in Sanskrit to invest it with an aura of a noble narrative related by an equally noble soul in a matching refined language, perhaps keeping in mind the ancient custom of Sanskrit-Prakrit
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