Nirgrantha-1

Author(s): M A Dhaky, Jitendra B Shah
Publisher: Shardaben Chimanbhai Educational Research Centre

Page 72

Vol. 1-1995
Teachers of....
seeing that even Nārada, the sage well-known to everybody had embraced the New Faith, Tripurāsura and all the citizens went to the Mundi and became his followers 13. This Purāņa, too, agrees that the Mundi taught them the Buddhisht doctrines also 14; according to the Padmapurāna it was the Buddha himself, who did it (VI. 252. 19-20, p. 917). Thus Tripurāsura lost his superiority over the Devas and being led astray, Siva could easily do away with him. After the victory of the Devas, the five monks were asked by Visnu and others to stay in the deserts, await Kali's approach, and then to spread their doctrine wide and large",
Four other Purāņas, namely the Vāyu 16, the Matsya", the Padma 18, and the DeviBhagavata record another occasion when the Daityas were brought within the fold of Jainism, but this time the person behind the game was not Vişnu but Bịhaspati, the priest of the Devas. Most of the verses giving this account in the Vayu and the Matsya are mostly the same with minor additions and alterations. The verses in the Padma are also fairly the same, but the text excludes some portions like Śiva-stuti by śukra. On the other hand, this Purāņa describes the Jaina doctrine in detail. The Devi-Bhāgavata has adopted a few verses from the Vāyu and the Matsya, of course excluding the Siva-stuti. Let us proceed with the story in brief as told by the Matsya and the Vāyu.
Once śukrācārya, the chief priest of the Daityas, decided to retire to a forest, practice penance, and please Mahādeva for obtaining new knowledge and powers. So saying to the Daityas, Sukra retired to some secluded place. Thereby Indra got cautious and as a first diplomatic step he sent his daughter Jayanti to serve Sukra in penance and win him over. Jayanti pleased Sukra by her devoted service and ultimately got his consent to have conjugal relation with her for ten years. Thus śukra's absence from the demons' camp was prolonged and Indra took advantage of the situation. At his request Bịhaspati went to the demons in the guise of Sukra and proposed to impart new knowledge to them, which he had obtained from Siva for their welfare. The Asuras easily believed the imposter and became his followers. After completing the contract period with Jayanti, Sukra returned to the demons. He saw through Brhaspati's game, but the Asuras would not believe him in spite of his hard efforts to establish his own identity. In the end, out of sheer disgust, śukra cursed them and leaving them to their fate went back to his place. Bịhaspati, too, with towering success in hand, disappeared. Now the Asuras realized what they had done and led by Prahlada approached Sukra for being pardoned. But the game was lost; however, Sukra promised to help them at some favourable moment in future.
Both the Vāyu and the Matsya are silent about what exactly Brhaspati taught to the demons in the guise of Sukra. Here the Padma and the Devi-Bhāgavata come to our help. They clearly record that Bịhaspati preached the Jaina doctrine. The Devi-Bhāgavata is very brief on the point", but the Padma gives details 20. Its description reveals terms like yogi, barhi-pătradhara, munda, śrāvaka, keśotpātana, Tirthankara, luñcana, digambara,
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