4. Motifs (1): Lack of a Male Child

IV : THE MOTIFS : Dhanapala has utilized the following motifs for the progress of the story from point to points: (1) The lack of a male child; (2) The Vidyadhara Munis; (3) The divine necklace Candratapa; (4) Worship of deities and Tirthankaras; (5) The Vetala; (6) The divine ring Balarunna;

289 (7) A night-attack%3B (8) Naval Expedition%3B (9) the messages; (10) Portrait of a young girl; (11) The flying elephant and its pacification by music; (12) Invocation to a boat%;B (13) The holy sandal paste and the garland; (14) The sack of the cities; (15) Kidnapping young girls; (16) Attempts at suicide; (17) The boon and the bane; (18) The parrot; (19) The magic mantle; (20) The divine aeroplane; (21)Prayers to the Tirthankaras and others; (22) Significant bardic utterances; (23) Philosophical discoubse; and (24) Penance. (1) Lack of a Male Child :- King Meghavahana and his queen Madiravati's yearning for a mana male child induces the king to undertake penance as suggested at first by the bard's morning verse. This resolve attracts the attention of the divine agency in the form of the Vidyadhara Muni who guides them both to their desired goal of abiaing obtaining a male issue through the worship of the goddess sri. The deep longing of this royal couple also provides the necessary opportunity for the human incarnation of the Vaimanika god Jvalanaprabha, who was about to descend from the Saudharma heazen as his store of merits was almost exhausted. He had also earned profuse merit by understanding undertaking the pilgrimage of all the holy rivers, lakes and shrines of

290 Jain Tirthamkaras and cosequently he had qualified for a nakla descent into a noble human family which would provide proper facilities for his further attainment of final emancipation.