Sambodhi 2004 Vol 27

Author(s): J B Shah, N M Kansara
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 44

RAMKRISHNA BHATTACHARYA
SAMBODHI
It would, however, be wrong to think that the jains remained unaffected by the legendary tradition of a happy land though lost to man today, Hemacandra (1089-1173 AD) in his Lives of Sixty-three famous men (Trişasti-salākāpurusacaritra) mentions the fate of a pious king called Dhana as follows :
As a result of his gift to the munis he (sc. Dhana) became a twin in the Uttarakurus, that have the peroid of pure happiness present, on the north bank of the river Sītā, to the east of the Jumbu tree. There, people wish to eat at the end of the fourth day, and have two hundred fifty-six ribs. They are born as twins, are three Gavyūtis tall, live for three palyas, bear children toward the end of their lives, have slight passions, and are free from self-interest. After they have reared their twinoffspring for forty-nine day they die; and are reborn among the gods. Among the Uttarakurus the land is naturally beautiful, with sand as sweet as sugar and waters resembling autumn-moonlight. Ten kinds of wishfulfilling-trees, Madyaāngas etc. always give to the people whatever they desire without effort on their part. Among those the Madyāngas give wine, Bhộngah give dishes, hand the Tūryāngakas yield choice musical instruments with various tunes. The Dīpaśikhās and Jyotiskas give a wonderful light, the Citrāngas furnish wreaths, and the Citrarasas, in turn, give food. Madyangas furnish ornaments, the Gehakāras the houses, the Anangas give various kinds of divine apparels. These give definite objects, and also indefinite ones, and the other wishfulfilling-trees, there, give all things desired. There, the Jiva (soul) of Dhana, like a wishfulfilling-tree in heaven, had everytinhg desired and enjoyed pleasures of the senses as a twin.3
Several characteristics of this accont are worth noting. Hemacandra reserves Uttarakuru for the post-mortem existence of pious men, comparable to the Isles of the Blest or the Elysean Field of classical Greeek mytholohy. Like the Hyperboreans (“Beyond-the north-wind men') describbed in Megasthenes's Indika, the Uttarakurus in Hemacandra's account also live a thousand years. But, as to the chief and recurring motifs of the Uttarakuru legend, namely,
a) ansence of private property, and
b) ansence of the custom of marriage,
which enables women to choose their mates as they please, Hemacandra is absolutely silent. He does mention very succinctly that the Uttarakurus are free from selfishness-interest. But that is where the portrayal of social life ends. It is not amplified further.