Kathakoca or Treasury of Stories

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

Page 50

24
myself to religious works.' The god: (who was once Yugabáhu) then took the princess to Mithila, where are the three kinds of knowledge of Mallinátha that produce happi. ness, namely, the knowledge of his birth, the knowledge of how he took the vows, and absolute, unalloyed knowledge. Therefore, in the first place, the two visited the chaityas of the Arhat, considering them holy spots. Then they saw a holy woman in a neighbouring nunnery and worshipped her. The holy woman preached to them the true religion. At the end of her instructive address the god said : 'Come with me, Madanarekhá, let me take you to the palace and show you your son.' Madanarekhá answered :'What profit is there of natural affection, which is the cause of birth ? The feet of this holy woman are my refuge. When she said this, the god Yugabáhu bowed before the holy lady and returned to heaven. Madanarekhá took the vows; she received the name of Suvratá, and commenced a course of severe asceticism. In the meanwhile, owing to the power of her son, all kings were made to bow to King Padmaratha. Hence they gave her son the name of Nami. Being tenderly fostered by nurses, he gradually grew up. One day, when he had become a young man, King Padmaratha made Nami marry one thousand and eight maidens. After some days he put him on the throne, and himself destroying by severe asceticism the influence of actions, went to blessedness. Nami, subduing all kings, ruled the realm. Now, it happened that in the very same night in which Maniratha killed his own brother Yugabáhu, he was' bitten by a Berpent, and dying of the bite he went to the fourth hell. Then the ministers placed Chandrayaças, the son of Yugabáhu, on the throne, and he carried on the government. One day the well-bred royal white elephant of Nami, named Chaturdantin, tore up the post to which he was bound and started for the Vindhya forest. As the elephant was going along, he was seen by some people near the city of Sudarçana, and they told King Chandrayaças; the king tamed the elephant and brought him home, and tied him to an elephant-post. Nami, coming to hear of that, sent an