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Shri Mahavir Jain Aradhana Kendra
www.kobatirth.org
Acharya Shri Kailassagarsuri Gyanmandir
126
girls whom they first enticed and then sold off in marriage even to high-placed Government officers ( 13.6-8). Gambling was another vice. There is a reference to one Caturanga-dyūtu-kura (12.16). Beautilul girls - including princesses - used to be put at stake by gainblers who liad no blood-relation with them and they had to be surrendered by them to the winners (12,16-17).
The moral degradation of the merchant clan is suggested by the resusal by one of them to return deposits bluntly stating that lie had received no deposits at all (27.12 ff.). It may, however, be noted that this might well be considered as a solitary instance inasmuch as people confidently used to deposit precious belongings with them, which fact suggests that the receivers of such deposits were in full confidence of the people.
A keen sense of hospitality is indicated hy the references to the point that we find in the text. Strangery used to dine at the place of big merchants (1,11). It is stated that minister Santů had to dine with Sakari ya Saha Haripala when the former went to the latter's residence with a request from the king to go with him to the royal court (21.5 ff.).
x1, A Brief Critical Appreclation
The fore-going critical and comparative study of the text of LPS can itself le regarded as a critical appreciation of the same. In order to put it in a nutstr II, however, let us, in fine, have a bird's eye-view of the above discussions which would naturally lead us to the following conclusions :
[a] LPS includes ten prabandhas the longest one being the Vikramidityapacadamlacchalra-prabandha comprising eight pages and the shortest being the Kūmurivaņāka-prabandha of only one page.
[2] Only One Ms, of the whole text is available, while three Mss. were examined for the Madanabhramamahāruja-praban.tha.
(3) Four cf these prabandhas are unique inasmuch as they could not be traced anywhere else.
(4] In the case of the rest of the prabandhas different versions of wlolc stories or of parts thereof are inct with.
[5] The archaic nature of the language and style of LPS, however, compels us to conclude that its versions are the oldest of all the availableones.
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