Treasury of Jain Tales

Author(s): V M Kulkarni
Publisher: Shardaben Chimanbhai Educational Research Centre

Page 74

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a few golden images on Mount Vaitadhya normally inaccessible. He made up his mind to worship them and a deity showed them to him. This deity was quite pleased to see the man's devotion and perseverance and by way of appreciation gave to him some wish-fulfilling pills. This devotee also heard of the wooden image of Vardhamana in the possession of Udayana and accordingly to Vitabhaya he went. After the death of the queen, the image was put in the charge of Devadatta, one of the servants in the queen's establishment. She was an ugly, deformed, hunch-backed woman. Nevertheless she was sincerely attached to her duties. When the Gandhara devotee came she gave to him all help with which he was so pleased that before leaving the palace he gave to her some of his magical wish-fulfilling pills.
The hunchback ate the first pill with a wish: 'May my body become like gold.' Thereupon she became a woman of the most radiant beauty and of a complexion like molten gold. Suvarnagutikā became her name. Then she thought of pleasures and the prince of Ujjayini, Pradyota came to her mind. She swallowed another pill. A deity conveyed this to him and he sent a messenger to whom Suvarnagutikā expressed her desire to first see him before deciding. Accordingly Pradyota came on his royal elephant, Nalagiri, during the night. She liked him but said that he should carry the wooden image also along with her. He thought of leaving a replacement in the box. He got one made, carefully kept it in the box and the two of them went away from the palace of Udayana, unnoticed by anyone. When the servant girl was found missing it was reported to the king. He ordered a search party that brought the information that the trail of the smell of the elephant's urine was in the direction of Ujjayini. The king asked the servants to look for the wooden image. He was told that the box was there; but when he himself opened it while he went to worship it he saw that the garland of flowers on the image had faded. He suspected it to be imitation as it indeed was. It was no longer the image of Vardhamana but of Jiyantasvamin which Pradyota had got made. The king immediately sent a message to him to return the image; he might keep the girl. But Pradyota refused to return it.