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

Previous | Next

Page 204
________________ 178 · hand; it is not known what his object is.' The king said to himself: He will put me to death by some painful mode of execution;' so he took tálaputa poison. When Konika arrived there, King Çrenika was dead. He became an inhabitant of hell, destined to live in the first hell for eighty-four thousand years. In this very land of Bharata he shall be the first Tirthankara, named Mahápadma. Then Konika was afflicted at the loss of his father, and repeated this verse: 'Gardens, houses, regions having enjoyed as if laughing, Though the places are beheld, the men are not beheld like the regions.' Though admonished by his nobles, he would not bathe or take food. Then, being unable to endure his sorrow for his father, he left Rájagriha, and founded the new city of Champá. This Konika made the seat of his rule. Then the princes Halla and Vihalla, mounted on the elephant Sechanaka, adorned with the silk garments, the beautiful bracelets and necklace, roamed about every day in the city of Champá. One day Padmávatí, the wife of Konika, seeing the splendid appearance that they made, said to the king: 'King, to you the kingdom is only a burden; but the princes Halla and Vihalla have all the enjoyment of it. They roam about the city amusing themselves, mounted on the elephant Sechanaka. Therefore demand from them those precious things, of which Sechanaka is the chief.' The king said: 'I am ashamed to demand the precious things given to them by my father.' The queen said: 'Give them other precious things instead of these.' Then the king asked the princes for Sechanaka and the other precious things. They said: 'You are king and lord of all we have; take the precious things.' Having said this, the princes went home. The two deliberated, and came to the conclusion that the king would take their possessions by force; so they mounted the elephant Sechanaka, and went off by night to the city of Vaiçálí to King Cheṭaka. King Konika, when he heard what had happened, sent an ambassador to King Cheṭaka. The ambassador said: Send Halla and Vihalla quickly.' King Cheṭaka said: "There Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288