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Jambu- A historical person..
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baptised into the order and will eventually be the last omniscient. These four goddesses will be his wives and in addition he will marry other four wives also. A brief narrātive of Anadhiya was also told in this context.
Jambu was born in normal course. Sudharma's sermons engendered in him feelings of aversion towards the world. Parents dissuaded him from undertaking asceticism but he was unshakeable. Then a compromise was arrived at in the form that Jambu should at least marry the brides with whom he was engaged before detachment so that they can feast their eyes on their married son at least temporarily. Jambu accepted. On the very first day of his marriage, when he was sitting unperturbed and with his vow of celibacy unbroken in the company of his eight married wives, the notorious thief, Prabhava, with 500 accomplices, came over there to loot and plunder ascertaining that all were fast asleep. But finding Jambu fully awake, he entered into conversation with Jambu. In order to stress the dangerous nature of the sensuous pleasures of the world on the mind of Prabhava, Jambu cited parables such as that of Madhu. bindu and of Mahesvaradattā. The sound of the talk which took place between Jambu and Prabhava awakened the newly married eight wives. Now follows a very interesting and edifying interlude. As many as eighteen parables and counterparables were advanced for calm and impartial consideration by both the parties, Jambu on one side and all the eight wives on the other side, the first pointing to the insignificance of the mundane life of pleasures and enjoyments and the other proving that a bird in band is worth two in the bush, that is to say, the worldly pleasures must be enjoyed to the full. The parables and the counter-parables are as follows :
(1) Foolish Farmer; (2) Crow; (3) A couple of Monkeys; (4) Fuel-carrier; (5) Napurapaņạitā; (6) Megharatha-Vidyunmāli; (7) Conch-blower; (8) The Leader of the Monkeys (9) Buddhi-Siddhi; (10) Noble Steed; (11) Village Chieftain's son; (12) Mare-Master; (13) Mā-Šahasa Bird; (14) Three Friends; (15) Clever Brabmin Girl; (16) Queen Lalitā; (17) Bania and Diggers; (19) Dravyatva-Bhāvatva. The last three parables are from the mouth of Jambu.
Jambu scored his point. All got light removing darkness of ignorance. Kunika celebrated with pomp and grandour the initiation ceremony of Jambu. Jambu's parents, eight wives, their parents, Prabhava the Thief and his five hundred co-thieves-all joined Jambu in undertaking initiation.
Sudharma got omniscience and emancipation. Jambu became the chief pontiff and in course of time he also earned emancipation. All the other co-religionists practised hard penance and went to heaven after death. Thus ends Guņapāla's Jambucariyar (JC).
A close look over the design of the original story of Jambu and thc employment of the intervening parables occuring in Guņapāla's Jambucariyam (JC) will make it immediately clear that Vira, the author of Jambusāmichariu has largely kept Jambucariyam as his model in many respects while giving to his Jambusāmicariu a shape and colour justifying it as a Mahākāvya and including in it additional features characterizing it as such. Of course, it must be straightway admitted that Vira has drawn
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