Manuscript Illustrations Of Uttaradhyayana Sutra

Author(s): W Norman Brown
Publisher: American Oriental Society

Page 47

CITRA AND SAMBHUTA
19
out. This
the faith they tool to die
from death a minister who had fallen in disgrace with his king, and hid him in an underground cave, where he taught the two boys all the traditional arts (kalā). This minister seduced the chief's wife, was discovered, but was helped to escape by the two boys. These boys used to delight the city folk of Benares by their singing and dancing until the Brahmans had them, as Untouchables, refused entry inside the city walls. But one day they thoughtlessly entered, and there heard singing, which because of their own exquisite taste they thought despicable, and they themselves began to sing. Everyone was charmed until they recognized the lowly caste of the two; then the boys were driven out. This experience was repeated, and the two boys left the city, determined to die; but at this moment they met a Jain monk, who led them to religion, and they took the vows. In due time they became highly proficient in the practices of the faith, and obtained supernatural powers. Once when Sambhūta entered a city, the minister who had seduced his mother saw and recognized him, and, fearful that he might betray him to his present master, sent his men to attack him. The monk, using his supernatural power, emitted fire from his mouth to burn up the men. The monarch, who was the universal emperor Sanatkumāra, came to appease him; but Sambhūta would not be mollified until his brother Citra besought him. About the time that Sambhūta was to die Sanatkumāra's queen came to adore him, and the touch of the tips of her hair on his feet so inflamed his sensual passions that he conceived the dying wish (nidāna) for his accumulated spiritual attainments to bring him rebirth as a universal emperor so that he too might enjoy such superlative women.' He was therefore in due time, after residence in a heaven, reborn as Brahmadatta, last of the universal emperors, and Citra again became a monk. Brahmadatta had a long career of sensual excess, while Citra perfected the spiritual life. The two knew a common stanza recollected from a previous existence-a common Jain story motif-and in fairy tale fashion it finally brought them together. Citra then preached to Brahmadatta the sermon of the Uttarādhyayana chapter, but to no avail; instead Brahmadatta tempted him to forsake the good life for that of the palace with the delights of women and music. Brahmadatta's own nemesis came about through a Brahman whom he had disgraced. The latter, seeking revenge, engaged a goatherd, who was a deadshot with a pellet bow, to shoot out the king's eyes. Brahmadatta gave orders to his minister that the eyes of the Brahman, his relatives, and other Brahmans should be torn out and put in a dish that he might have the pleasure of crushing them with his fingers. But the minister, realizing that Brahmadatta was experiencing the working out of his evil karma, substituted the fruit of the sakhotaka tree. Nevertheless, Brahmadatta accumulated so much bad karma that he was reborn in the seventh hell, to remain there for 33 sägaras."
The painting in HV (fig. 43) shows Citra sitting and preaching to Brahmadatta (the former Sambhūta), who faces him. DV (fig. 42) has a similar scene, but Citra is standing. The moment is that when Citra tries to win Brahmadatta from his life of royal sensuality,
1 For the efficacy of such dying wishes, see F. Edgerton, "The Hour of Death," Annals of the Bhandarkar Institute, Vol. 8, part 3, 1927, pp. 219-249.
Devendra's text of the Brahmadatta story is published in Jacobi, Ausgewählte Erzählungen in Māhārashtri, pp. 1-20; translation in J. J. Meyer, Hindu Tales, pp. 3-62.