Book Title: Kathakoca or Treasury of Stories
Author(s): C H Tawney
Publisher: Oriental Books Reprint Corporation New Delhi

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Page 148
________________ 122 The king said to the elephant-driver : Tell me, what can I give you ?' The elephant-driver said: "Give your daughter to my son.' So the elephant-driver went on presenting jewels. One day Prince Abhaya said to the elephant-driver: 'Whence have you jewels in your house?' The elephant-driver answered : “A goat gives them to me.' Then Prince Abhaya asked the elephant-driver for the goat. The elephant-driver gave it to him, and it was brought to the king's palace. There the goat produced no jewels; it only produced evil-smelling things. Then it was given back to the elephant-driver, and in his house it produced jewels as before. King Creņika thought: This goat possesses divine powers.' One day, the king asked the god to make a chariot-road to the Vaibhára* mountain. The god made it. On another occasion the king asked the god for a rampart of gold. The god made a rampart of gold. Again the king said to the elephant-driver: 'Bring the sea here, in order that your son may bathe in the sea and be purified.' The god performed it. Then the king gave his own daughter to the son of the elephant-driver. Moreover, the eight daughters of rich men, who had before been married by the elephant-driver's son, came to him also. Then he remained living in hie house for twelve years with those nine wives, enjoying the pleasures of the world. Again the god admonished him. Then the wives of Metárya asked the god to grant them twelve years more of their husband's society. So Metárya took a vow at the end of forty-nine years. He was initiated by Mahávíra. He then roamed about in accordance with the standard of solitary roaming.t One day, as he was wandering about from house to house in the city of Rájagriha to beg food, he went to the house of a goldsmith. Now, it happened that at this moment the goldsmith had placed some grains of gold on a cloth, by way of a weight, and gone into the house. At that very instant a heron came and swallowed * A very holy place of pilgrimage. See Weber über das Çatrumjaya Mahatmyam,' pp. 22 and 38. + I take it that this is the eleventh standard. See Dr. Hoernle's Uvásaga Dasáo,' appendix ii., p. 43. Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

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