Tilakamanjari

Author(s): Dhanpal, Sudarshankumar Sharma
Publisher: Parimal Publications

Page 53

DHANAPĀLA AS A PROSE WRITER
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Siva, the bestower of boons. Goaded by Vatsarāja accordingly the queen took to her resolve for that austerity whereupon the king also along with his subject folk became keen on that act of propitiation. In a dream the Moon crested one (i.e. Siva) revealed to the aspiring couple that a son claiming supremacy over the lords of the Vidyadharas would be born to them out of his benignity unto them. Having said so the Moon crested one became away from sight. Gloating over their impending fortunes, the couple became busy taking food meant to break their fast in company with their kinsfolk and after a few days, a person with matted hair having come in a dream, gave to the queen a fruit, a fact which she narrated before the king as also to the minister visualising that a son in the form of fruit had been bestowed upon her by the Moon crested one i.e., Siva.
Verses 135-142 at the end of fourth Lambaka of Brhatkathāmañjarī narrate the actual birth of a son to Vāsavadattā who was named Naravāhanadatta whereas verses 131-134 narrate the birth of sons Marubhūti of Yaugandharāyaṇa, Harisikha of Rumanvān, Gomukha of Nityodita, the porter, who were to be the associates of Naravāhanadatta.
In Kathāsaritsāgara (Lambaka IV taranga II) the growth of the foetus of Vāsavadattā, the environments under which she was placed accordingly being regaled by female chaperons, the narration of a tale of a Vidyādhara Cakravartti Jimūtavāhana, the story of the previous birth of Jimūtavāhana, the marriage of Malayavati and Jimūtavāhana, the tale of Kadru and Vinatā, the mighty sacrifice of Jīmātavāhana for the Nāgas, the ecstasy of Vāsavadattā on hearing all this (verses-1-259) the vision of Vāsavadattā in taranga III wherein Siva assured her not to worry about her foetus since it was to go all safe (verses 1-30), the birth of sons Marubhūti of Yaugandharāyana, Harisikha of Rumanvān, Tapantaka of Vasantaka, Gomukha or Ityaka of Nityodita and the subsequent birth of Naravāhanadatta to Vāsavadattā the rejoicing all over the country (verses 54-93) have been described elaborately and can easily bear semblance to the description of Ujjayinī in Kādambarī, her Monarch Tārāpīda and his queen Vilāsavati, both failing to get a son, getting the same through the blessings of a sage offering them to observe austerities and the parallel description of Ayodhyā in Tilakamañjarī, her sovereign Meghavāhana having a queen Madirāvati, both being issueless for a long time, getting the blessings of an acrial sage, a Vidyādhara offering them to adore Siva who could bestow upon them a boon for the birth of a son and subsequently getting a son baptised after psychology of a dream seen by the king who saw Indra riding his elephant and conjuring before him the charm of his getting a son who was to be paramount sovereign of the Vidyadharas.