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14
PAUMACARIU OF SVAYAMBHU
Merchant Sāgaradatta in Ksemapuri promised to give his daughter Gunavatī in marriage to Nayadatta's elder son Dhanadatta. But his wife Ratnaprabhā wanted her to be given to Śrīkānta, who was wealthier. Coming to know this Dhanadatta's younger brother Vasudatta, on the-advice of his father's Brahmin friend Yajñabali, once attacked Śrīkānta. Both died fighting and were reborn as deers. Dhanadatta, feeling depressed due to these developments, left his home to see the world. Guņavati could not bring her mind to marry anybody else. She somehow developed an utter dislike for monks and religion. Having died, she was born as a female deer in the same place where those two deer lived. They fought with each other for her sake, died and thereafter passed through a series of animal births, cursed every time with the spirit of vengeance.
Dhanadatta on his wanderings once accepted Aņuvgatas from a monk. After his death, he was reborn as a god and thence as a merchant's son named Padmaruci. Once he recited the Namaskāras to a dying bull, who was on that account reborn as prince Vrşabhadhvaja in the same city. Remembering his previous birth, he got a temple constructed on the very spot where he had died as a bull and got the dying scene painted on the walls. As Padmaruci happening to see it showed signs of interest, he was indentified as the benefactor of the previous birth. They became friends, did many pious deeds, died and were reborn as gods. Thence passing through a few more births, Padmaruci was born as Prince Śrīcandra. He practised numerous vows and austerities and was reborn as a god and finally as Dasaratha's son Rāma. Vrsabbadhvaja was reborn as Sugrīva. Srikānta wandering through nany births was reborn as prince Sambhu and similarly Vasudatta was reborn as his preceptor Śrībhūti. Gunavati due to the merits earned by hearing Namaskāras in her elephant birth, was reborn as Śrībhūti's daughter Vegavati. Sambhu killed Śrībhūti for refusing to give him Vegavatī, and thereafter raped her. She cursed that she would be the cause of his death. She became a nun, and after her death was reborn in Brahima Heaven. Sambhu went to hell, and thereafter wandered through many low births. Once in his birth as a Brahmin's son he became a monk, practised austerities and died with a longing to be born as a Vidyādhara. He was reborn as Rävaņa. - Sribhūti, in his birth as the Vidyādhara Punarvasu practised austerities and
was reborn as Lakşmaņa. Gunavati's brother has been born ultiJain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only
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