Narrative Tale in Jain Literature

Author(s): Satyaranjan Banerjee
Publisher: Asiatic Society

Page 71

THE STORY OF KÄMADEVA
A.F. RUDOLF HOERNLE
91.Jambū enquired : "If, Reverend Sir, the Smana (as above, 2 down to) who has passed away, has taught this as the purport of the first lecture of the seventh Anga, called the Uvāsagadasāo, what then Reverend Sir, did he teach as the purport of the second lecture?"
92. Suhamma replied: "Truly, Jambū, at that time and at that period there was a town called Champā. Near it was the Cheiya Puņņabhadda. Its king was Jiyasattū. In it lived the householder Kāmadeva, and his wife Bhaddā. That householder possessed a treasure of six kror measures of gold deposited in a safe place, a capital of six kror measures of gold put out on interest, a well-stocked estate of the value of six kror measures of gold, and six herd, each herd consisting of ten thousand head of cattle. At a certain time the arrival of the Samana took place. (Then as Ānanda had done, Kamadeva also went out to hear him, and, like him, he also took on himself the law of a householder. All this is to be related here, exactly as before in 88 58 - 68, down to where it is said that) having taken leave of his eldest son and of his friends and kinsmen, he proceeded to where his posaha-house was; and having done so, he (acting like Āņanda, as in $ 69, down to) lived in conformity with the teachings of the Law which he had received in the presence of the Samaņa, the blessed Mahāvīra.
93. Then one day in the presence of that Kāmadeva, the servent of the Samana, at the time of the midnight hour, there appeared a certain false and lying deva.
94. On that occasion that deva had changed himself into the form of a huge pisāya. Of the pisāya form of that deva the following is said to be a full description. : its head was fashioned like a cattle-feeding basket, its hairs looked like the awns of ears of rice and shone with a tawny glare;