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

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Page 255
________________ 229 religion. They refreshed the hermit with food and drink. After they had kept the hermit some time, and had heard from him the truths of religion, and had entreated his forgiveness, they sent him away, and he went to Ashtápada. Thus, having been converted by association with a saint, they diligently observed the vow of lay disciples. One day the goddess, that attends upon the Jina, took Víramatí to the Ashtápada mountain to confirm her faith. There Víramatí saw the images of the Arbats, each of life size, made of various jewels, splendidly constructed by gods and Asuras, and was highly delighted. After she had worshipped these images, she returned to her own city. And Víramatí, believing that she had worshipped a great object of devotion, performed twenty-four Achámla mortifications,* one for each of the Jinas. She had made suitable forehead-marks for each of the twenty-four images of Jinas, composed of gold, set off by jewels placed upon them. On a subsequent day Víramatí went with her retinue to the Ashțápada mountain, and worshipped the Jinas by bathing and anointing them, and other pious acts, and then she fixed with great devotion those marks on the foreheads of the images of the Jinas. Víramatí gave suitable gifts to those that came to the holy place, wandering hermits and others, and completed her vow of mortification, and, considering that her human birth had fulfilled its object, that her wealth had produced fruit, and that her life was truly successful, she returned to her own city. Thus some considerable time passed over this couple, while they were engaged in the religious observances of the Jaina faith. They died when their allotted period of life came to an end, and were born as a god and a goddess in Saudharma. Then the soul of Mammaņa was born in this very land of Bharata, in a country named Rahulí, in the city of Potana, as the son of Dhammillása, a cowherd, and Reņuká his wife. After his birth he was called Dhanya. The soul of Víramatí fell * Achámla means the eating of dry food simply moistened or boiled in water. See Dr. Hoernle's paper in the Indian Antiquary for August, 1890, note 31. Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

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