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NOTES
CANTO I
Background-For proper understanding of the present text, it is found necessary to give the background of the story. The Puranas, though mythicised by modern, especially by European, scholars, are fully believed in by us, the genuine Indians, who are not impressed upon by the mal-treatment given to our Puranas by some European scholars with a view to suppress Indian religions and support the spread of christianity for the purpose of establishing their empire on sound basis. The Jain Puranas describe the lives of 63 great personalities. The revered Parshva is one of those great personalities. The history of His former births, as described in the Puranas, runs as
follows:
In the pre-historic period, a king, Aravinda by name, ruled over some part, called , of India, the then Bharata. He used to stay in Podanapura, the metropolis of the country. Kamatha and Marubhuti, born of Vishvabbuti and Anudari, were allotted ministerial posts by the king, Aravinda. Of them Kamatha was the elder and Marubhuti the younger. Kamatha was married to Varuna, and Marubhuti to Vasundhara. Once upon a time, Marubhuti had accompanied his master, Aravinda, the king, who had launched an attack against Vajravirya, his enemy, to subdue him. Seizing the opportunity, Kamatha succeeded in seducing Vasundhara, his brother's wife, through his own wife, Varuna and stained her by adultery. On returning, after gaining victory over his enemy, the king, before entering into the capital, was informed of the misdeed that had been perpetrated by Kamatha. This news of the misdeed of Kamatha excited passion in the king's mind. He inflicted severe punishment of banishment upon the adulterate (i. e. Kamatha) and ordered his servants to banish bim from his kingdom. Kamatha, become red-hot with anger, left the kingdom for a forest where he himself got initiated into monk-hood.
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