Nayakumarchariu

Author(s): Pushpadant, Hiralal Jain
Publisher: Balatkaragana Jain Publication Society

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ANALYSIS OF THE WORK
thunderbolt of Indra.' There lived a Sabara clad in peacock-feathers and armed with a bow and arrows, who was always raising a cry of injustice. On hearing this Nägak. went to the place with all his retinue. The door of the Jina temple opened at the touch of his hand and he saw the image of Candraprabha Tirthamkara which he worshipped with a dance performed by his three wives. He then saw the Sabara who told him that his wife was abducted by Bhimasura who lived in the Kalaguha. Nagak. accompanied by Vyala, entered the Patala and saw the extremely beautiful mansion of the Danava, as he had never seen before, decorated with five-coloured banners, baving designs executed in pearls and with an arch-way of fresh Kalpadruma leaves' The door-keeper did not prevent their entry and they came to the council-hall of the Asura who received him with honour and presented him with a jewel-couch and other gems. The wife of the Sabara was restored to him.
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Continuing his adventures in the forest, the hero entered the cave called Kañcana-guha, pointed out to him by the Sabara. There he met the deity Sudarsana who received him with honour and offered all the Vidyas which she had been long keeping for him. On being questioned as to how it was, the deity said that one Jitasatru, the son of Vidyadhara Vidyutprabha of Alakapur, practised austerities there for twelve years and acquired those Vidyas. But in the mean. while, Sage Suvrata attained omniscience in the vicinity and Jitasatru went to pay him homage. On hearing his lecture he became converted, and, according to the prophecy of the sage, instructed the Vidyas to await the advent of Nagak. On hearing this account, the hero accepted the Vidyas but asked the deity to keep them on till he required them.
Being advised by Sudarsana, Nagak. entered another cave called Kalavetāla-guha and appropriated all the wealth of Jitasatru, which was kept for him by a Vetāla. He next visited the tree-demon-hole " where he kicked aside a wooden giant and saw the old bow of Jitaśatru. Coming out, he returned to the Jina temple and thence to his camp.
Nagak. then marched out from there being guided by the Sabara who conducted him upto the outskirts of the forest and then returned. The hero was here visited by Vanaraja, the chief of Girisikhara who told him that according to the prophecy of a sage, he was destined to marry his daughter Lakshmimati. He then took him home and the marriage took place.
One day Nagak. waited upon sage Śrutidhara and inquired of him whether Vanaraja was really a man of the forest or some king who had made his home there. The sage, thereupon, told him the history of Vanaraja. In the city of Pundravardhana, there ruled a king of the lunar dynasty named Aparajita. He had two wives Satyavati and Vasundhara from whom he had two sons, Atibala and Bhimabala respectively. The king retired for penances and Bhimabala
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