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NARRATIVE TALE IN JAIN LITERATURE
(Insight), his minister Manas (Mind) and his five court officials, the Five Senses, appear : Manas and the five Senses carry on a heated debate as to the origin of suffering, whereupon Ātman takes the lead, and in a long speech describes the terrible sufferings of Samsāra and extols the happiness of those whose mind is directed towards the Jina, the Munis and pity on all beings, "who avoid the striving after possession, as one avoids robbery, which brings suffering in its wake, kingly power, as a snare or poison, sensual pleasure and a loving woman, as a piece of wood, wealth as a fetter, inclination to adornment as a burden; who, making no difference between themselves and others, have taken upon themselves the burden of the discipline of the Order."36
The second long story in Apabhramśa is the story of Sthūlabhadra37 in 106 verses. Sthūlabhadra is the last successor of Mahāvīra, who still knew the 14 Pürvas. Stories about him and his enemy, the learned Brahman Vararuci, are already told in the Parisista-Parvan.38 We also find here the story of the monks, each of whom fulfils another, more difficult vow, whilst Sthūlabhadra takes upon himself and fulfils the vow that he will spend four months in the house of the courtesan Kośā, without violating his vow of chastity. The vain attempts of Kośā to entangle the monk in the bonds of love, are described in accordance with all the rules of the Kāma-Šāstra. In the end the king gives Kośā to his charioteer as a wife. In order to amuse her, this man performs a remarkable trick: he cuts a mango from the tree with two arrows shot into one another, whereupon Kośā does a still more wonderful trick : she dances upon the point of a needle which is sticking at the top of a heap of mustard-seeds. Then the charioteer is astonished, but she says that Sthūlabhadra performed a far more marvellous trick, when he lived with her and yet did not violate his vow of chastity.
36. Alsdorf, 1.c., p. 100. 37. Pp. 443-461 of the edition; cf. Alsdorf, 1.c., pp. 6, 19 ff., 100
ff., 113 ff. 38. Pariśişta-Parvan VIII, 110-193, see above, p. 507 ff.
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