Kathakoca or Treasury of Stories

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

Page 30

food, and refused to break his fast, even though Jinadása expostulated with him. At the end of seven days the cloud ceased to rain, so Devapála had seven days of fasting. At the end of the seven days of fasting he went to the bank of the river to worship the god.
By goodness the cloud rains, by goodness the gods prosper, By goodness the earth is upheld, in goodness all is established. The god, being pleased with the goodness of Devapála, gave him on the seventh day the sovereignty of that city. On the seventh day the king of that city died of cholera, and left no male issue. As 'there was no son to succeed him, the ministers appointed an elephant, and fastened to its temples a pitcher full of water, and let it go. It found the servant named Devapála asleep on the seventh day, under the pípal tree, and emptied the pitcher on his head.* They bestowed on him the kingdom. He put on magnificent garments, leaving his old clothes on the spot where he was found, and made his entry into the city with great public rejoicings, and became lord of it. One day that merchant took his old clothes and fastened them up at the gate of the palace avenue. All the king's retinue, when they saw them, were disgusted with him. King Devapála, seeing that everybody was disaffected, again went to the Jina and praised the lord. A demon in attendance on the lord said to him : The royal dignity has been given to thee, and no one can annul that decree. But go to thy palace and have an elephant made of clay; then take thy seat on that elephant, and propitiate it with
* In the Katha Sarit Ságara' we read of an elephant let loose with a siinilar object. The man that it took up with its trunk and placed on its head was anointed king. In Jacobi's Erzahlungen aus der Maharashtrí' there is more than one allusion to this practice. At p. 62 five ordeals (divváni) are mentioned: "On seeing him the elephant trumpeted, the horse neighed; he was sprinkled by the pitcher, and fanned by the chowries, and the umbrella stood over him.' See also the story of Amaradatta and Mitránanda in this work. The neighing of the horse reminds one of the story of Darius, the son of Hystaspes. In the Darímukhajátaka' (Fausböll, vol. iii., p. 238) an empty chariot is sent out. In the story of Karakandu, p. 37 of Jacobi's · Erzählungen,' a horse is let loose. See also Jacobi's Introduction to his edition of the Paricishta Parvan,' p. 46.