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An attempt to trace the Source
pranjalir bhagavan eşa yatindraḥ survakarmanal mukto vadyaiva ko veti papraccha prakrayasrayaḥ||1
(Once, while the famous Maharaja Šrenika was joyfully wandering about in the four splendid woods outside the perfumed chamber, he perceived the great ascetic Jivandhara, who was standing under a Pindi-tree, absorbed in meditation. As (the king's) fancy was attracted by his figure, etc., he went up to the chief disciple S dharma, full of curiosity, worshipped him devoutly, saluted him, assigned to him a seat that was suitable to his rank, and asked him respectfully, with outstretched hands: 'Is this venerable one a great ascetic who has just been freed of all (consequences of former) deeds, or who is he??
7
From this one would think that Vadibhasimha could have had the knowledge of the Up. The date of Vadibh. simha which will be discussed later in this chapter shows that Vaibhasimha is later than Gunabhadra. It is very likely that he had the knowledge of the Up Further, the following point also supports this idea.
Though most of the stories in the Kc., the Ge., ard the Cc. are similar, the story of Ksemary in the Gc, and the Kc. shows that Vadibhasimha in this particular story follows the Kṣemasundart story in the Up. According to the Up.. the Kc., and the Ge. the story of Ksemai (Kṣemasundars in the Up.) is as folk ws:
Jivandhara enters the city of Ksema and there be goes to a Jaina temple and praises the lord Jina. Suddenly the doors of the Jina temple open by themselves. Seeing this, the servant of merchant Subhadra comes and greets Jivandhara. When Jivandhara asks who he is, he replies that he is the servant of the merchant Subhadra. Subhadra has a daughter named Kṣemasundari (Kṣemir in the c. and the Ge.). predicted by astrologers that the doors of the Jina temple would cpen to receive the one who would be her husband. When Subhadra comes to know from his servant that the Jina temple doors opened by themselves on the arrival of Jivandhara, he gives his daughter in marriage to him.8
This story is narrated in a different way in the Cc., as follows :
Kemacari was born as the daughter of the; merchant Cupattiran and his wife. Nipputi. Astrologers had predicted at the time of her birth that sh: would marry the one who would cause her to blush in shame on seeing him. Hence Cupattiran used to bring young men to his house every day and feed them. When one day he took Civakan home, Kemacari blushed on seeing him and Cupattiran gave her in marriage to him.
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Though Vadibhasimha would have had the knowledge of the Up. the story in the Kc. and the Gc. differs in many aspects from that of the story of the Up. 1 here 1 Up. loc. cit., vv. 183-186.
2 Translated by Hultzch, Quarterly Journal of the Mythic Society, XXII, 4, p. 320.
3 Up. loc. cit. vv. 401-414; Kc. 6 vv. 32-51; Gc. 6 para 168-177, pp. 254-269. 4 Cc. vv, 1450-1490.
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