Jinamanjari 1998 09 No 18

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

Page 12

- Shriranjan Suridev's doctoral thesis "Vasudevahindi - A Critical Study." University of Patna.
Donald A. Nelson of the University of Chicago has worked on the stylistic aspects of prose writing of the Vasudevahindi"
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Late Prof. Jagdish Chandra Jain has observed that the Agadadatta story is a original and independent one, and it is a later addition to the Vasudevahindi, and it is also included in the commentaries of Śantisūri and Devendragani. The Agaḍadattacariyam is in Maharashtri Prakrit, but it is slightly different from the Sethubhandha, the Gaudavaho and the Lilakahavo.
Santisūri in his Bṛhadvṛtti of Uttarādhyayana refers to some old tradition (vrddhavyākhyā) of the Agaddatta story. Like Santisūri, Devendragani in his commentary of Uttaradhyayana also refers to an old tradition of the Agaḍadattacariyam, and narrates it in 328 gāthas. J.J. Meyer's English translation Agaḍadattacariyam first appeared in 1909 in his Hindu Tales; A. Belini translated it into Italian in 1903; J.Hertel translated it into German in 1921 in Indische Marchen, and in 1938, L. Alsdorf authored it in New Indian Antiquary."
The story of Agadadatta is simple in style. In the kingdom of Sankhapura, there ruled a king named Sundara with his queen Sulasā, and Agadadatta was their son. The prince as he grew became known for his arrogance, debauchery and misdeeds towards citizens in the kingdom. As he was thus hated by citizens, the king banished him from the kingdom. Consequently, Agadadatta walked towards Vārāṇasi and there he found refuge in the house of a teacher named Pavanacanda, a master expert in archery, the science of arms and weapons and so on. He told him all about his family and how he was banished from the kingdom. Pavanacanda, noting the distressful situation of Agaḍadatta, promised that he would teach him everything he knew. He was taught archery with the five-fold fists, control of the whole body; taught two kinds of uses of the bow and arrow and expertise in cutting, felling and breaking the trees and other sciences of arms. Meanwhile, a beautiful girl Madanamañjari, daughter of a well known merchant - Bandhudatta of Vārāṇasi, falls in love with him, and
he too was hit by the arrow of cupid. But he expresses his impropriety on his part since he was staying with his teacher.
Once, a wild elephant deserted by the herd was creating havoc in Vārāṇasi, and the king's men who were unable to catch the elephant with its contracted trunk and wide opened eyes was roaring vigorously, striking the ground with trunk and terrorising the town. Agaḍadatta
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