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108
NARRATIVE TALE IN JAIN LITERATURE
was the cause of her grief. The young woman said that her husband never came home before midnight. The motherin-law comforted her, and promised to exhort her son. The next time that Siddha returned home late, she did not open the door to him, but told him to go to a place where doors were open at that time of night. Then Siddha went to the Jaina monks whose doors are always open. They recognised the future Prabhāvaka in him, and received him with due ceremony. He became a Jaina monk, and it was in vain that his father tried to dissuade him from his resolve. After he had learned with the Buddhists for some time and had become their adherent, he was brought back to the Jaina faith again by his old teacher.
XXII
THE DRAMA OF MUNDANE EXISTENCE Samsāranāțaka as told by Siddharși in his
· Upamiti-bhava-prapanca-kathā :
The poet commences with an allegory in which he describes his own career. In the city of “Without-beginningand-without-end” there lives an ugly, wretched beggar, who is suffering from all diseases, and whose name is Virtueless (Nişpunyaka). The wretched food which he was able to procure by begging, scarcely served to satisfy his hunger, and only increased his illness. In this city the famous king “Stand-firm" ruled. The beggar came to his palace, and was admitted by the door-keeper "Resolver-of-one's-ownKarman" out of pity. The beggar feels very happy indeed at the sight of the splendour of the palace. The cook “Awakener-of-the-knowledge-of-religion" and his beautiful daughter “His pity" bring the beggar the tasty and curative food “The great good" and treat him with the eye-salve “Pure eight" and the mouth-lotion "Creating-joy-in theTruth." Little by little he is cured, but for a long time he is unwilling to give up his old bad diet. Then the cook “Awakener-of-the-knowledge-of-religion" engages “True Insight" as his nurse, and at length he realises the impurity of his former food, he cleans his begging bowl, and
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