Studies in the Bhagavati Sutra

Author(s): J C Sikdar
Publisher: Research Institute of Prakrit Jainology & Ahimsa Mujjaffarpur

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STUDIES IN THE BHAGAWATI SUTRA
Ch. III
royal officers to find out the future king, till they halted at some place and recognized their future king in the prince, Mūladeva sitting under the shade of a tree there, by the divine will
vealed througb the self-trumpeting of the elephant, the selfneighing of the horse, the self-sprinkling of water of the pitcher, the self-fanning of the chowries and the holding of the royal parasol by itself over his head. To the great joy of the people Mūladeva was simultaneously accepted and proclaimed king by the ministers and tributary kings (mantisāmanta) in the town with the cries of victory."
Similar accounts of choosing king by the divine will manifested itself through the horse are given in other Jaina texts.
It is related in the Uttarādhyayana Tīkāk that the divine horse let loose by the citizens of Kapicana pura halted in front of the prince, Karakaņdu who was immediately recognized as their king with his specific auspicious marks on his body and was declared king with the cries of victory and joy.
Almost the same royal tradition of selecting king is found in the Karakandu Cariu' in which it is related that Karakandu, manifestly a Candāla, was chosen as the king of Dantīpura by the divine will revealed through the elephant, let loose by the royal officials and citizens to search out their future king on the death of their former heirless king.'
In the same manner Nhāviyadāsa Nandas referred to in the Avaśyaka Cūrni was consecrated as the king of Padaliputta by the people.
The Vyavahāra Bhāsya relates a similar story of succession of the robber, Mūladeva to the throne. While he was being
1 The Sisyahită commentary on the Uttaradhyayana Sutra-3,
p. 63 a. The Ovõiya Sutta JI. pp. 44, refers to "sword (Khagga), umbrella (chat!a), crown (upphesa), shoes (vāhana) and chowries (vālavijana) as the five royal insignia, Vide Life in Ancient India, by Dr. J. C. Jain, p. 53, 24 f ; Cf.
Milindapanha, p. 330. 2 Uttaradhya yana-Pika-9., p. 134. 9,4 Karakandu Cariu, v. 219-21, edited by Dr. H. L. Jain. * Āvasyaka Cúrni 11; p. 180. 6 Vyavahāra Bhagya, 4, 169