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The Rāmāyana Version of Gunabhadra
117
That our Guņabhadra was a celebrity of his age is clear from a reference to him in Darsana-Sára“. And he held his Guru in uttermost devotion. This is patent from the way he takes up the unfinished work of his teachers. "If my words are sweet it is owing to the greatness of my Gurus. .... these words spring from my heart where my Gurus reside. They would polish my language, I have not to take any trouble". In such words he demonstrates his utmost devotion to his Gurus.
With this preliminary information we come to our immediate objective, viz., a study of the Rama story as given by Guņabhadra in the 67th and 68th Parvans.
2. SUMMARY OF THE CONTENTS OF GUNABHADRA'S RĂMÁYAŅA:
Severed of poetic descriptions and digressions we have the following story of Rama as related by Gunabhadra:
During the period of Muni-Suvrata the 8th Rāma and Kesava, by name Råma and Lakşmaņa, are born:
In Malaya-desa there was a town ratnapura. King Prajapati ruled over it. He had a wife Guņa-Känta. Candracủla was born of them. He was an intimate friend of Vijaya the son of a minister to the king. Both of them were wicked. In that city there was one Kubera. He had a daughter called Kuberadattā. She was betrothed to Sridatta, son of merchant Vaisravana and Gautama. A servant told the prince of Kuberadattâ's wondrous beauty. He and Vijaya decided to abduct her. The merchant community lodged a complaint with the king. The king ordered the Pura-raksaka to kill his wicked son. After
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4. Tassa ya sisso gunavam Guņabhaddo divvapāņaparipunno -
Pakkhovarasumandi mahatavo bhavalingo va co. 5. Read w. 14-17, 18 and 19.
Parvan 67 opens with the story of Harisena, the 10th Cakravartin who flourished in the period of Muni Suvrata, the 20th 1Yrthankara. He was born of Padmanabha (of ikşvāku dynasty, who ruled over Bhogapura) and his wife Afra. His span of life was 1000 years; he was twenty dhanus In height. His father put him on the throne and accepted samyama; he became a Sravaka at the feet of muni Anantavfrya; when his father obtained Kevala-jñana, there appeared in his armoury four 'ratnas' : (1) Cakra, (11)Chatra, (111) asi and (tv) danda and in his srigrha three ratnas : (1) Kakin, (2) Carma and (3) Mani, and in his town four ratnas: (1) Purohita, (2) Gshapati, (3) Sthapati and (4) Camūpati and Vidyadharas bring for him three ratnas from the Vijayårdhamountain : (1) Hasti, (2) Asva and (3) Kanya. And Ganavaddha gods bring for him the usual nine treasures. With the gods he sets out on world-conquest and achieving his ambition returns home. In the month of Kartika he performs, during the eight Nandisvara days, Mahapuja and Upavasa on the last day. Seeing the Moon eclipsed by Rahu he is full of disgust towards Sarnsära, accepts Samyama at the hands of Srinaga and ultimately obtains Sarvärtha-siddhi.
