Kathakoca or Treasury of Stories

Author(s): C H Tawney
Publisher: Oriental Books Reprint Corporation New Delhi

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went to Çankhapura with his sons, who were going there; and as he ascended the steps of his own temple, he was presented by the woman who looked after his own garden with flowers* and four other things. With these he worshipped the mighty Jina. And at night, when he was exclaiming against his poverty in the presence of the spiritual preceptor, he was presented by him with a charm for propitiating the Yaksha Kapardin. Once, on a night in the middle of the black fortnight, when he was worshipping this charm, the Yaksha Kapardint manifested himself to him, and said: 'Dhanada, give me the benefit of the worship that thou didst pay with flowers and four other things to the venerable one who is free from passion on the four-monthly festival.' Dhanada replied: 'I cannot give the benefit of even one flower offered in worship to anyone but the all-knowing one.' On this account the Yaksha Kapardin, seeing that Dhanada was of the same creed as himself, deposited in the four corners of his house four jars filled with gold, and then disappeared. Dhanada in the morning returned to his house, and when his sons began to run down his religion, he made over to them that treasure. His sons asked him most respectfully how he came to acquire that wealth. Then, in order to manifest in their hearts the power of true religion, he informed them that all that wealth had been bestowed by the Yaksha Kapardin, who had been conciliated by the power of worship of the Jina. They, having acquired opulence, returned to their own native city, and devoting themselves to building Jaina religious edifices and to preaching the Jaina doctrine, established the true faith in the minds
On these days the Jainas, after fasting, perform pious works, such as almsgiving, penance, meditation, confession, worship, honouring of spiritual superiors, etc. He also remarks that the word parvan, which is used here, is a term for any day specially suited for religious ob
servance.
* Probably flowers, dresses, perfumes, garlands, and ornaments. See Dr. Hoernle's Uvásaga Dasáo,' p. 43, note 120.
† He is mentioned in Weber's Catrunjaya Máhátmyam,' p. 44, as having 100,000 Yakshas under his orders.