Studies in the Bhagavati Sutra

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

Page 82

Sec. IV)
STUDIES IN THE BHAGAWATI SUTRA
57
Here the purpose of the author is to explore a complicated structure of human body without an attempt to present an image of man but at the same time to reveal the inner emotions without applying any psychological method. He aims at the truth by depicting the person with the psychological background of knowledge without using terms. Here his style is like that of a keen anatomist, displaying the physical structure of the man, with a creative mind of a discoverer of new things which give pleasure to both the readers and himself.
The author depicts youth and physical beauty of a young lady with a brilliant touch of a masterly hand of an artist, as she appears to be vivacious with the rhythm of her life. Thus it is described that during the pilgrimage of Jamālī to Lord Mahāvīra for undertaking asceticism there stood behind the prince in the palanquin one excellent young lady (courtesan) dressed in charming costumes, like the abode of sexual passion or expert in sexual union, endowed with beauty, youth, bud of luxury or loveliness, unblossmed flower of lustre, having beautiful breasts and holding a garland of koranta flowers, shining like silver, lotus, jasmine and the moon, and a white umbrella.?
Further, two pictures-one of youth and the other of old are presented by depicting the two stages of human life.
As an old man is unable to cut a knotty trunk of wood with a blunt axe by making sound, just like that the effects of sinful acts of infernal beings do not come to an end', while as a strong young man fells a large straight trunk of a Samali tree with a sharp axe without making sound, so the gross karmı-matter of the Sramana-Nirgranthas quickly gets an. nihilated.'
In these passages the author creates the images of persons with great agility and carries the readers' minds with his, without allowing the images to disappear. He applies his mental faculty to paint the physical being out of fresh stuff with bold sentences and firm ending. i Bhs. 9, 33, 385.
* 15, 16, 4, 573.