Chapter 2.1 - Summary of Yasastilaka, Book 1

In the Yaudheya country there was a beautiful city named Rajapura, adorned with magnificent temples and lofty mansions belonging to the wealthy. Here reigned Maradatta, son of Candamahasena, a powerful Prince who surpassed in valour such kings of old as Nrga, Nala, Nahusa, Bharata, Bhagiratha and Bhagadatta. Ascending the throne while still quite young, he embarked on a wild career of reckless adventure along with companions who had passions and traits of character similar to his own. Sometimes, putting on his armour, he would play with rogue elephants, who had broken their chains like lotus fibres, flung away the pegs like sprouts of Virana grass, torn the ropes to pieces like branching creepers, and smashed the posts like reeds'. Sometimes he would pet vicious wild horses. Sometimes he would plunge into lakes and grapple crocodiles. Sometimes he would kill tigers with the force of his arms, and wander in the woods echoing with the uncanny screeching of owls in their mountain resort. Sometimes he would betake himself at night to cremation grounds, ' terrible with the sound of the loud drums in the hands of the female goblins', and engage in duels with powerful spirits and overthrow them in the encounter. But there was also a lighter side to his activities. Like a veritable god of love, he enjoyed the company of the women of different nationalities, to wit, Andhra, Cola, Kerala, Simhala, Karnata, Surastra, Kamboja , Pallava 1 Mahavastu, Vol. I, p 132, etc. 2'' Book VIII, section 36. For the verse in question See Chap. XI. The idea of returning good for evil was advocated by Lao-tzu in ancient China: it was disapproved and modified by the more practical Confucius. Soothill : The Three Religions of China, pp. 33, 205.

and Kalinga. Sometimes he dallied with young women in pleasure gardens, and, on other occasions, indulged in water-sports, surrounded by beautiful women, in artificial lakes, perfumed and abounding in flowers, with emerald floors, crystal embankments, golden steps and islets of pearls. Although reckless and self-willed, and addicted to wine, hunting, and courtesans, Maradatta was free from dangers and calamities, and considered himself akin to the gods. One day a Tantric teacher named Virabhairava told him that he would obtain a miraculous sword with which he could conquer the realm of the Vidyadharas, if only creatures of all kinds were sacrificed in the temple of the goddess Candamari in his capital, and if at the same time he killed with his own hands a couple of human beings possessing all auspicious physical characteristics. Hearing this, Maradatta summoned the entire population to the temple of the dread goddess under the pretext of celebrating the Mahanavami festival, although it was not the proper season for it, and himself repaired to the shrine and ordered the guards to fetch the required couple of human beings for the purpose of sacrifice. The temple of Candamari was a horrid place, frequented by the terrible female spirits known as the Mahayoginis, and a crowd of fanatical votaries, engaged in outrageous forms of self-torture. Certain devotees were burning Guggula incense on their heads; some, extremely ferocious, were burning their arteries, like lights; while others, exceedingly bold, were trying to please Siva by drinking their own blood. In one corner, Kapalikas were selling for a price pieces of flesh cut off from their own bodies, and at another place certain fanatics were worshipping the Mothers by swinging from their intestines, extracted with their own hands. Elsewhere certain grim men were offering their own flesh as an oblation in the sacred fire. Such was the temple of Candamari, terrifying to Death himself. Meanwhile, the Jaina sage Sudatta, famous for his austerities, and unaffected by the rigours of the winter and the summer and the monsoon, was approaching Rajapura with a Rajapura with a large number of disciples. Avoiding the city in view of the impending slaughter, and turning to the east, he saw a beautiful pleasure garden where young men were disporting themselves with beautiful damsels, adorned with floral ornaments. But he said to himself thus: brahmastambanitambini ratikathaprarambhacandrodayah, kamam kamarasavataravisayavyaparapuspakarah | prayah praptasamadhisuddhamanaso'pyete pradesah ksanat, svantadhvantakrto bhavanti tadiha sthatum na yuktam yateh || 1. 71. 1 See Chap. XIII.

"Such places, like the hours of moonrise, occasion gossip about the amours of the beautiful women of all the world. Like the spring, they provide free scope for mundane joys in which the sentiment of love prevails. Such places, as a rule, delude in a moment the heart even of one whose mind is purified by deep concentration . So it is not meant for an ascetic to remain here. 77 Going a few steps further, the sage saw a cremation ground scene of with the funeral pyres fiercely burning; and the gruesome desolation awakened diverse thoughts in his mind. He moved further away, and came to a hill not far from Rajapura. Here he fixed his camp and ordered the monks to beg for alms in the neighbouring villages. Among the disciples of Sudatta were two young ascetics, a boy and a girl, brother and sister, named Abhayaruci and Abhayamati respectively, who, unlike the others, were directed to beg in the city. They were the twin children of Kusumavali, sister of Maradatta, and chief queen of Yesomati, son of Yasodhara Maharaja, and had taken the monastic vow in early childhood and wandered with the sage Sudatta. On their way to the city they were encountered by the guards, who had been sent in quest of a couple of human victims for the impending sacrifice. Careful not to frighten the young persons, the guards told them in a friendly manner that a great teacher, who had been apprised of their arrival, was waiting to see them in the temple of Bhavani. Their frightful appearance, however, betrayed their real purpose; and the boy and the girl, resigning themselves to their fate, followed them to the temple of the goddess. The temple of Candamari, which was known as Mahabhairava, presented a strange spectacle, being full of the victims of all kinds brought there for sacrifice, and held fast by armed guards resembling the attendants of Siva. There could be seen sheep, buffaloes, camels, elephants and horses frightened by the half-brandished swords of the keepers. There were aquatic animals like crocodiles, alligators , frogs, crabs, tortoises, and Pathina fish, all trembling with fear at the sight of the spirits waiting to drink their blood. The keepers were at pains to hold together the numerous birds, scared by the movements of the circular sacrificial blade, and the other victims such as antelopes , tigers, lions, wolves, boars and apes. The mass slaughter of the animals was to take place after the king had sacrificed the first victims. The young ascetics saw before them the grim figure of Maradatta. Standing on the floor of the temple, with drawn sword, he looked like

a mountain in the middle of a river, with a serpent with raised hood on its slope. The king 'seemed to be aflame with his valour flaring up in his inner being, and burn everything with his angry look. He was extremely ferocious like a venomous serpent, and seemed to consume everything with the fury of his deportment. The aspect and character of the goddess were still more terrible. damstrakotinivistadrstikutilavyalokavispharita bhrubhangodbhatabhavabhisanamukhatrasyatrilokipati | lalatolbanalocananalamilajavalakaralambarapustadvistapuratrayam vijayate yasyah pracandam vapuh || 1. 186. The young ascetics whose minds were bent on the highest beatitude were not in the least afraid of the danger before them, and never lost their balance and composure when ushered into the presence of the king in the grim setting of the temple of Candamari. They encouraged each other to be firm and resolute, scorn death, and regard salvation as the highest object of human endeavour. Maradatta's heart softened at the sight of the tender boy and the girl; and although he could not recognise them to be his own nephew and niece, he felt the kindly influence of their presence, and said to himself (p. 156): " katham namaitaddarsanadacantamrtamiva nrsamsasaya bahalakalusyamapi muhuh prasantam me cetah, caksuh punah kulisa- kilitamiva katham na visayantaramavagahate, cirapravasitapranayijanavalokanadiva kathamayamatma paramantarmodate, cittamapi cedam cirayacaritaparicayameva kathamativanandathumantharam, kim nu khalu tadetanna syanmama bhagineyayamalam, acakarnam caparedyureva revatakanamaprasiddhat kulavrddhadetasya balakala evascaryayam tapascaryaparyayam, bhavanti himanindriyanyadrstapurvesvapi priyajanesu prayena pratastapanatejamsiva ragolbanavayamsi | " "How is it that, at the sight of these two, my heart, though heavily tainted by cruel thoughts, has become absolutely calm, as if it had partaken of nectar; and my eyes turn to no other object, as if because riveted upon them with the force of thunder? Why is my soul in an ecstasy of joy, as if at the sight of beloved friends who have been long abroad? Why is my heart steeped in joy, as if it were long familiar with them? Are they not possibly my own nephew and niece? Only the other day I heard from one of the elders of my family, Revataka by name, the amazing story of their religious austerities even in childhood. At the sight of beloved persons, though never seen before, the senses become suffused with youth in an ecstasy of love, like the rays of the morning sun. 27 Observing the change in the attitude of the king, a bard recited two verses and appealed to him to lay aside his sword. nasanna ripavo na capi bhavatah kascinnidesavasah sriresa tava deva ya pranayini tasyai na ko'piti | gadham mustinipidanasrama bharaprodvantadharajalam muncatvahavakelidohsahacarim tatkhagayastim bhavan || 1. 148. 'No enemies are near at hand; none transgresses thy command. Sire, the goddess of prosperity is devoted to thee, and no one is jealous

of her. Do thou therefore discard thy sword, the companion of thy arm in the sport of war: its blade doth emit its lustre under the pressure of thy powerful grip!" Maradatta listened to the verses recited by the bard, and laid down his sword at the feet of the goddess. Then imposing silence on the noisy crowd of spectators with his raised hand, he offered a seat to the ascetic boy and the girl, who now recited, one after the other, a series of panegyrics in honour of the king in the conventional style of court poetry. The purpose of the ascetic boy was to convert the king to the Jaina faith; but he thought it advisable to proceed slowly and cautiously in the matter, and reflected within himself (p. 176): " rajastamobahulesu ca pranisu prathamatarameva dharmopadesah karoti mahatim sirahsulavyatham bhavati cavadhiranaya vaktuh, tadenamabhyastarasaprasaraireva vacobhirullasayami, nayavedino hi vanagaja iva khadukaphalapralobhanamaviditatattve pumsi chandanuvartanamapi bhavatyayatyamabhimatavaptaye | " Preaching of religion at the very outset to persons, dominated by passion and ignorance, only gives them a severe headache, and brings the speaker into contempt. So I will cheer him with words enlivened by such sentiments as are familiar to him. A sagacious person ultimately obtains the desired result with regard to one who is ignorant of the truth, even by humouring him, just as one subdues a wild elephant by alluring him with delicious fruits." The ascetic boy, followed by his companion, again praised the king in a series of lyrical verses; and the latter now questioned them about their native place and origin. The boy promised to satisfy the king's curiosity and addressed to him a benedictory verse.