________________
492
MAHĀPURANA
[ XXXVIII
4a-b. The poet here refers to an anecdote that king fac carried the famous poet floath on his shoulders. Historically this reference is on par with several others, e. g., those mentioned in the TTFET. The date of the accession to throne of king of the patron of art, is 620 A. D., while #TFIE is certainly older than Aihole Inscription of 634 A. D., than atur (620 A.D.) and above all than वत्सभट्टि' मन्दसोर प्रशस्ति of 473 A. D. 8a-b. Poet पुष्पदन्त who styled himself as fiaaf95555, was honoured by some and was despised by others saying that he was a dullard (थध्दु). 11 देवीसुय, a son of देवी or देवियव्वा of 3. la above, ie. भरत.
6. 3a-b. The poet here assures his patron ta that his poctic genius manifests itself out of devotion for the feet of the Jinas, and not out of desire to earn his living ( 3 fotofaufanf ). 10. FE #foot #to, place on your car this ear-ring (#157), viz., the narrative ( FTof 34f5a.
7. The narrative of अजित, the second तीर्थकर, begins with this कडवक. I have already referred to the monotonous way in which lives of great men in Jain works are described (Vide MP Vol. I, p. 599). We first get some information of the previous birth of a Jina wherein he acquires the necessary qualifications of becoming a Jina in the subsequent birth. In the case of Ajita, he was विमलवाहन, a king ruling in the town of सुसीमा of the वत्सदेश, situated on the southern bank of the river सीता in the पूर्वविदेह of जम्बूद्वीप. There one day he acquires disgust for the worldly life, practises penance, cultivates the sixteen भावनाs such as दर्शनविशुद्धि, secures तीर्थकर नाम and गोत्र, dies by observing fast, is born in the विजय अनुत्तरविमान, has a life of 23 सागरोपम; there when only six months of this long life remain, the comes to know that this fe is to be born in staat in the raad as a son to king frary and queen fautent, and orders
ar to bestow a shower of gold on this city. The six deities, t, , afa, ha, Fifra and wilfa, come to wait upon queen fastUT. The queen then secs sixteen dreams, and on waking up describes them to king hard who tells her that she would give birth to a जिन. When विमलवाहन completes his period of life as अहमिन्द्र he descends into the womb of factor in the form of an elephant. Gods arrive on the scene and congratulate foart. The Jina is born as fastfi e., possessed of मति, श्रुत and अवधिज्ञान, on the 10th day of the bright half of माघ. Gods headed by 9, arrive on the scene once more, go round the Jina three times, salu te the parents, and handing over to the mother a Atila, take the Jina to the # mountain, give him a bath, name him as afra, offer him prayers, and, bringing him back to BUTEUT, hand him over to his mother. When 3f50 attained youth, he was married to thousand princesses, He was also crowned as prince, and enjoyed the earth for 19 lacs of gas. One night prince 3fat saw a meteor
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