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

Previous | Next

Page 217
________________ 191 said: 'Reverend sir, what merit did I perform in a former life, that in this life enjoyments come to me everywhere ?' The teacher said: 'Listen; in a former ago there was in Sáligráma a householder named Dhanadeva. He had a wife named Yaçodeví. One day a hermit came to your house to eat, after a month's fast. You and your wife Yaçodeví restored him with milk and rice. Owing to the merit of that action you have been born as a prince of Vidyadharas, after your death ; Yaçodeví, also, after her death, has been born in this birth as Madanamanjarí, your wife. When this had been said, both of them remembered their former birth. They saw their former life in a swoon. At the end of the swoon they thought: 'Does even a small gift given to a worthy recipient produce so much fruit ?' Then they pronounced the twelve vows.* After they had bowed before the teacher, they went to their own place. Kanakaratha, helped by his wife, kept giving gifts to fit recipients. When the end of life approached, they placed their son on the throne, and, adopting a vow of abstinence from food, they both went to heaven. Here ends the story of Kanakaratha, having reference to the bestowal of charity on a fitting recipient. Bahubalit and Marichi accumulated pride, and the lord Sthúlabhadra ; and Sádhu, who sojourned in the lion's cave, and was arrogant; Siddhasena the poet, Chánakya and Koņika also, the King Duryodhana, and Rávaņa, and the Sage, reverenced under the name of Ságarachandra, and (Sanatkumára) the fourth universal emperor, on account of his beauty. For religion is not possible in arrogance. I * The five lesser and the seven disciplinary vows.—Dr. Hoornle's • Uvásaga Dasáo,' appendix iii., p. 34. + Before this, the MS. which I call C inserts Kávyam (& poem). What follows is in verse, but some lines are defective. Atmárám Muni has been good enough to furnish me with a note on this passage. The story of Bahubali will be found in the text. Marichi was the son of Bharata, and took the vows under Rishab. hadeva. He became puffed up because he heard that he would be born as the Tírthankara Mahávíra. Consequently, he was punished Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 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