Jinamanjari 1998 04 No 17

Author(s): Jinamanjari
Publisher: Canada Bramhi Jain Society Publication

Page 30

worship the image of god. Unbelieving Karakāndu was asked to witness the elephant's rites himself. He was surprised to see that the elephant bathed the image with waters brought through its trunk, offered a wreath of flowers and then moved back to the forest.
The incident he witnessed was such an astonishing one that he seriously began to consider the meaning behind the action of the elephant. The wisdom of the elephant in worshipping the image made him to think that the place where the image is located must have some kind of powerful sanctity. He foresaw that there could be a sacred sanctuary underneath the place. He got it excavated, and there he found an ancient temple dedicated to Tīrthankara Pārsva. On close examination of the image, he noticed a deep scratch on its pedestal. To erase it, he brought in a sculptor, who was unable to erase the scratch, saying that the work would bring bad luck to him. When the king insisted that he should carry out the work, the sculptor attempted to work on the scratch when the image began to ooze out water, and the continuing flow could not be controlled. At this juncture, the vidyādhara appeared on the scene and narrated the story of the temple:
"Two vidyādharas - Nila and Mahānila belonging to Rathnapore were once defeated in a battle, and took refuge in Ter, where eventually they were successful in reestablishing their kingdom. In course of time, they waged war against Srilanka, which they conquered. On their victorious return, they camped during the night in this temple of Pārsva. Enamored by the beauty of the image, they wanted to remove the image to capital Ter. The next morning, they attempted to remove the Pārsva image. As they could not succeed in their attempt, they thought there is a curse for their action. In order to overcome the curse, they caused a new temple by its side."
Hearing the account of the temple, Karakāndu realized his mistake in attempting to erase the scratch on the pedestal of the Pārsva image. Instead, he attended to its beautification and got it excavated two more caves by its side.
The story of Karakāndu Cariyu ends with the unification of the family of the king, who in military campaigns against Angadesa, encounters against his own father. With the intervention of the Vidhyādhara, his guardian angel, an end to the battle was put immediately, and thus the whole royal family was reunited.
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