________________
CHAPTER V BIRTH OF RAMA, KRSNA, AND ARISTANEMI, KILLING OF KANSA, AND FOUNDING OF DVÄRIKĀ
Now in Hāstinapura there lived a sheth and he had a son, named Lalita, very dear to his mother. One day an embryo was produced by the shethnī, which gave her much pain. Though she tried to make it fall by various means, it did not fall. A son was born and was given by the shethni to a slavegirl to abandon. He was seen by the sheth and the slave-girl was asked, “What is this?” She said: “He is undesired and is abandoned by the shethni.” The sheth took him and reared him secretly somewhere else. The father named the child Gangadatta; and Lalita also cherished him always, unknown to the mother.
One day at the spring-festival, Lalita said to his father, “ It would be a fine thing, if Gangadatta ate with us today.” The sheth said, “If your mother sees him, that will not be fiņe.” “Father, I will see to it that he is not seen.” So advised by the sheth, Lalita seated poor Gangadatta behind a curtain for dinner. The sheth and Lalita themselves were seated in front of it at that time and, while eating, gave food to Gangadatta secretly. The curtain was suddenly lifted by the wind and the shethni saw him, dragged him out by the hair, beat him, and threw him in the drain. The sheth and Lalita, embarrassed, bathed Gangadatta and, noble, enlightened him, unknown to the shethni.
Then sādhus came there for alms and were questioned by them, “Why does the shethni hate her son?” One sādhu explained: “In a village there were two brothers and they went outside for wood. After loading a cart with wood, the elder brother went ahead and saw a snake, a cakkaluņdā, 166 moving
166 14. Deśīnāmamālā, 3.5, "a kind of snake.' The Deśí. has cakkulaņdā. Muni Punyavijayaji tells me it is the snake commonly called domunhã, the two-mouthed' snake. 20 N
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
