Sudarshan Charitam

Author(s): Vidyanandi, Hiralal Jain
Publisher: Bharatiya Gyanpith

Page 8

GENERAL EDITORIAL
The career of Sudargana is described in his five bhavas or births, which are described in details by the Editor in his Hindi Introduction. The soul of Sudarsana in the first Bhava was a Bhilla chief, Vyāghra by name; in the second, a dog in a gokula, i. e., cowherds' colony; after hearing some religious instruction, the dog was reborn, in the third Bhava, as a man, a hunter's son; and in the fourth, a cowherd, Subhaga by name, who used to tend the cows of a banker, Jinadatta. Subhaga made his life fruitful by receiving and concentrating on the Namokāra Mantra from a pious saint. Consequently, Subhaga was reborn as Sudarśana in bankers' family. He lived in plenty and faced many trials; but he was neither tempted by pleasures nor cowed down by calamities. Following the highest ideal of Atma-samyama, Self-restraint, he attained the higher status of non-attachment and omniscience followed by Mokşa.
In earlier literature, so far available, Sudarśana's career is found illustrated in the (Bhagavati) Aradhana of Sivärya (Gathā No. 762). This illustration is expanded into a regular tale by Harişeņa (A. D. 932-3) in his Byhat-Kathākośa (Singhi Jain Series, No. 17, Bombay 1943), Story No. 60, the colophon of which runs thus :
iti sri-Jina-namaskāra-samanvita-Subhaga-gopāla-kathānakam idam.
The next source is the Kahākosu (ed. by H. L. JAIN, Prakrit Texts Series, No. 13, Ahmedabad 1969 ) of Sricandra ( c. 1066) in Apabhramśa. Though it follows the Kathakośa of Harişeņa, it has its specialities of language, style and poetic qualities. The story of Sudarśana is found in 16 Kadavakas in the 22nd Samdhi.