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Śramaņa January-June 2002
Māridatta, the ruler of the country Yaudheya with capital Rājpur, deciding to offer his family goddess Candamāri, a pair of all living beings, including human beings. He is ready to sacrifice even an ascetic pair, a boy and a girl, in fact the children of Māridatta's own sister Yasomatī. The children were sent to the sight by a Jaina ascetic Sudatta, on purpose. The children enjoyed rare gift of knowledge of the past births. On inquired by the king Māridatta they narrate the story of King Yaśodhara, lord of Avanti, with his capital Ujjain, the cunning devices of his queen Amstamati, his conversion to Jaina religion and the death by the poisoning the food by the queen of king and his mother. They narrate the account of the fate of the mother, son and wife in later births. The wicked queen repeats her evil deeds in her later births. At last, however, the cycle is complete and the mother and son are reborn, with knowledge of the past as the twin children of Yasomats and the sister of Māridatta. At the instance of ascetic Sudatta, the king, along with the goddess and his people, adopt Jaina faith. The work composed in full Kāvya style, displays great erudition and linguistic attainments of its writer. Comm. (1) Pañjikā by Śrīdeva, (2) Tīkā by Śrutasāgar. Pub. The text with commentary of Śrutasāgasūri, ed. K.N. Sharma & Pt. Vasudeva Sharma, Kāvyamālā Series No. 2, Nirnaya Sagar Press, Bombay Ed.2nd 1916, Two parts, II Yaśastilakacampūmahākāvyam (Two Vols.) ed. & trans. (Hindi) Sundarlal Sastri, Mahavīra Jaina Text S.No.2, Varanasi, P. 35,431 and 48,528, [Text with commentary Yaśastilakadipika with Hindi trans, and appendices.] Theses: Yaśastilaka and Indian Culture by K.K.Handiqui, Jaina Sanskrti Sanrakşaka Sangh, Sholapur 1949, P. 540, [Deals with various aspects of Jainism and Indian thought and Culture in 10th cent. AD. as depicted in this text.] // Yaśastilkacampū Kā Sanskrtika Adhyayana by Dr. Gokul Chand Jain, Parshwanath Vidyasrama S. No10, Varanasi 1967, P.408 [A research work in Hindi, containing 4 chapters, is divided into 24 Paricchedas (sections). Its chapters deal with the cultural data found in the text under heads: Social life, Arts, Architecture and contemporary Geography.]
Jivandhara Campü, by Hariscandra (10th cent. AD), depicting the story of Jivandhara in Sanskrit, is divided into 10 Lambhakas (sections). It is based on the story, occurred in the 2nd part of the Uttarapurāņa of Guņabhadra (9th cent. AD) There are more works depicting the story of
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