27. The previous births of Raksasa Maharaksa

[Full title: Didactic stories; (A) Religious cum Moral Stories; (27) The previous births of Raksasa Maharaksa or the story of Pritinkara]

Following the enumeration of the kings of the Raksasa dynasty and the story of the previous birth of Bhagiratha, Maharaksa is said to have developed aversion on having seen a bee die in the interior of a lotus. He paid homage to monk Srutasagara and asked him about his previous birth. The monk narrated the story (5.227-235) illustrating the results of forming a 'nidana'. Having listened to this story Maharaksa renounced the world. Pritinkara, the son of Hitankara and Madhavi of Potanapura once eulogised the Jinas on having learnt that the king of that town had performed a great worship of the Jinas. Thereafter having been reborn as an Yaksa, he saved a monk from a calamity in Aparavideha. Being again reborn as Udita, the son of Khecara Taditangada and Sriprabha in the Vijayardha, he saw the splendour of a celestial being proceeding to perform the worship of the Jinas and resolved (nidana) to do the same, He performed penances and was reborn as a celestial being in the Isana Kalpa. From there he was reborn as Maharaksa. The Paumacariya (5.345-355) contains the same story. The Paumacariu (5.5.16) does not refer to this previous birth story. The Ramapurana of Bhattaraka Somasena. (ch.3) agrees with the Paumacariya