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VASUDEVA'S MARRIAGE WITH KANAKAVATI
and no one could cast scorn on (the doctrine of) Syadvāda114 in her presence. Then the teacher led the girl, thoroughly versed in the ocean of all the arts, like Sarasvati, into her father's presence. At her teacher's command she showed fully her skill in all the arts, she-the sole canal in the garden of virtues. She displayed her learning in the interpretation of sacred knowledge to her father so that he became evidence of right belief, et cetera. The king rewarded his daughter's teacher with a lac and one thousand dinars and dismissed him.
Because of her exceeding merit, a messenger-deity materialized and gave Davadanti a golden statue of the Arhat. The goddess said, 'O daughter, this is an image of a future Arhat, Śrī Sāntinātha and it must be worshipped constantly by you.' With these words the goddess disappeared and Davadanti, wide-eyed, worshipped the statue and took it to her house.
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Playing with her friends, pretty-toothed Davadanti attained purifying youth, the well for the water of loveliness. When the king and queen saw that she was fully grown, they became eager to see the festival of her marriage. Her parents suffered, as if wounded internally, from anxiety about a bridegroom suitable for the multitude of her various virtues. In time Davadanti became eighteen years old, but the king had not found a pre-eminent bridegroom suitable for her.
Saying, A svayamvara is fitting for very proud unmarried young women,' the king instructed messengers to invite kings. Kings and princes, young, magnificent, came there quickly, competing with each other in splendor. Then the borders of Kundina were like the ground adjacent to Mt. Vindhya because of the innumerable elephants belonging to the kings that were in evidence. King Niṣadha, lord of Kośala, came there accompanied by his sons, Nala and Kubara. The lord of Kundina approached and gave a greeting to all the kings. For that is fitting for guests.
Then Bhima had a svayamvara-pavilion made, which was
114 304. The distinctive feature of Jain logic. See I, n. 4.
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