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Harivahana thinks once of committing suicide; so also does Tilakamanjari. Samaraketu attempts at it once, though he also makes up his mind two more times to do so. His beloved Malayasundari attempts at it four times. The

319 Vidyadhara couple in the form of Anangrati and his beloved also seem to be eager for that course. The number of times one thinks about committing suicide, and actually attempts at it, vary in accordance with the level of spiritual development of the character and in proportion to its lack of faith in the utterances of the Holy Saints. (i) Harivahana thinks about ending his life by throwing himself down from over the precipice when he receives the unexpected shock in the form of cold letter from TilaKamanjari. This makes him desperate. But his desperation is meant to be utilized for achieving a far more nobler end in the form of attaining the superhuman powers for the sake of an aggrieved young Vidyadhara couple. (ii) Tilakamanjari also thinks of ending her life by drawing herself on the brink of blunder when she proceeds to drown herself into the waters of the Adrstapara lake the moment she fails to trace the whereabouts of her beloved Harivahana inspite of her hot search for the whole day and gets the news at last about almost certain death of Harivahana. Her desperation makes her father intensify the search mission and put forth a stipulation of six months till the completion of Harivahana's penance. (iii) Samaraketu thinks of burning himself alive on the funeral pyre when all his attempts at tracing Hariyahana

320 come to nought and it is no longer honourable for him to show his face to King Meghavahana who has appointed him as the principal friend of his son. This favourably projects the integrity of Samaraketu. On the second occasion he actually throws himself headlong into the waters of the ocean near Ratnakuta when his just-seen beloved suddenly disappears. This adds to the suspense of the narrative and provides an opportunity for the activity of Mahodara. He, again, thinks of ending his life when all his efforts at spotting out Malayasundari in the temple of Love-god at Kanci fail. This is meant to keep Samaraketu in the temple in order to make him available for the rescue of dying Malayasundari in the garden. (iv) Malayasundari, being meant to be the most unfortunate of all the characters, actually attempts at suicide four times. Firstly, when she thinks her life useless, after her lover Samaraketu has thrown himself into the ocean, she also chooses the same course. This is the consequence of the earthly use to which the divine grace in the form of the holy garland has been subjected. Secondly, she naturally prefers to die rather than allow her womanly honour to be violated by Vajrayudha to whom her father was militarily compelled to give her over in marriage much

321 ker against her wish. Thirdly, she w 1/4 wishes to make KET short of her life and to this end eats the poisonous fruit when life becomes unbearable after her transportation to to the hermitage of Muni Santatapa where she is wholly miserable due to separation both from her lover as well as from her kith and kin. This is meant to highlight the plight of Malayasundari whose misfortune subjects her to untold sufferings even in such a peaceful hermitage, where in company of the nuns she is a fish out of water. And lastly, she fastens her garments preparatory to drowning herself into the waters of the Adrstapara lake, when finds herself transported to unknown regiom and loses all hopes about ever meeting her lover. In both the first and the third attempts she is saved by the superhuman agencies; in the second attempt it is her friend Bandhusundari who requisitions the timely help of Samaraketu to save her; in the last case it is the accident of her getting the letter from her lover that spares her from the ordeal. Malayasundari's sufferings and maximum number of attempts at suicide assigned to her are meant to illustrate the consequences of being sceptical about the truth of the utterances of saints like Jayantaswami, and her rescues at all such occasions serve to exemplify the redemptive importance of the worship of the Tirthankara Lord Mahaviza, i

322 be it at her hands or at those of her grandfather Vicitravirya. (v) The illusion of the tug-of-war, between Ananga. rati and his beloved, for dying first by throwing oneself down from over the Wish-fulfilling Precipice, appeals to the benevolent nature of Harivahana and spurs him to undertake the tough penance for the sake of the Vidyadhara couple.