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THE REVELATION OF THE PAST BIRTHS OF THE HEROES AND THE HEROINES BY THE MAHARSI (pp.$03ff.)鈥擶hen I asked the nearby Vidyadhara about some news about the family of the Vidyadhara King Cakrasena, there came a doorkeeper to announce the arrival of a youth. It was Gandharvaka, who, in a choking voice,ga鈻� gave the following report:- " I gave, by your order, the ring and the necklace to Malayasundari and Tilakamanjari respectively. Tilakamanjari put the necklace on in her neck, she recognized it and asked where I got it from. I told her about the incident of King Meghavahana to whom it was gifted As by a Vaimanika named Jvalanaprabha./I uttered this latter name her face suddenly withered away. Next morning she went to a great saint who had recently attained to omniscience. There, in answer to a question from a Vidyadhara King Virasena as to the reason of a sudden change in Tilakamanjari's behaviour, he revealed the story thus:

239 " Here in this transitory existence the soul roams from one form of birth to another one, in accordance with his past deeds. There is nothing strange here. Even a god is born as a worm in his next birth, while a bird of one birth passes to the birth of a human being. A king now, becomes a servant next. An unhappy one is transformed as a happy one. Providence Almighty makes and breaks everything in the fashion of an expert. potter. As to Tilakamanjari I would tell you a strange story: " There was a god named Jvalanaprabha residing in the Lilavatansa Vimana in the heaven. Marking that the end of his long tenure of crores of years in the heaven was fast approaching, he left the heaven, unnoticed by anybody, in order to earn some merit for future births. His celestial consort Priyangusundari was woebegone and came to Jambu-dvipa to know his whereabouts. There she met her friend Priyamvada who also was deserted by her lover Sumali a celestial friend of Jvalanaprabha and who had also come there in search of her lover. Both of them went to the Puskaravati Vijaya, to the east of Meru mountain, in order to see the omniscient sage named Jayantasvamin. The sage forecast that they would meet their lovers respectively on Mount Ekasriga "

240 and Ratnakuta repetialy in the Bharatavarga situated in the Jambudvipa, and that the divine ornaments will be instrumental in their union. At this Priyangusundari went to Mount Ekasriga to the south of the Vijayardha mountain. There she reared a garden called Manorama, wherein she built a pearl-temple of Lord Rsabha Jina. Everyday she would look in all the directions awaiting the arrival of her lover. "One day, Priyangusundari was looking towards the Adrstapara lake, when she saw the Goddess-of-Prosperity - Sri - approaching. Revealing the cause of her arrival there, she said that on that very day in the early morning she had met her dear friend Priyamvada who had conveyed the following message :"Due to my demerits even the forecast of a sage has not come true and my husband has not yet returned. My life is now fast ending. Do not forget me and look after the temple built by me Hearing this message, Priyangusundari sobbed heavily and replied that she had no longer the servants to take care of the temples. The Goddess-of-Prosperity, thereupon, ordered her attendant Mahodara to oblige in the matter and she went away. In due course Priyangusundari died. She is born here in the Vijayardha region as the daughter, Tilakamanjari, of the Vidyadhara King Cakrasena.

241 She enjoys royal pelf and power consequent to her abundant merit. Due to a strong attachment for her husband of the former birth she does not entertain affection for any other man. Recently on seeing her divine necklace, the former memories have dawned on her that it was the same necklace which her husband took with him when he depated under the pretext of proceeding on a pilgrimage, The saint ended his story. But the audiance requested him to tell him about the fate of Jvalanaprabha. So he added: r "On his way to Nandisvaradvipa Jvalanaprabha came to Bharatavarsa, where, in the city of saketa, he met with King Meghavahana to whom he gifted the necklace Candratapa. On reaching Nandisvaradvipa, he met his friend Sumali whom he instructed into the Jain philosophy of life, the transcient nature of sense-enjoyments and the recourse to the holy feet of Lord Jina as the only hope for crossing over this endless ocean of transmigration. Then he worshipped one hundred and seventy images of the Jinas on the principal mountains like Haimavata, Harivarsa, and in the countries like Saumanasa and Vidyutprabha. Having earned prifuse merit consequent to which - as is to see the divine necklace of his beloved Priyangusundari - he is born as Harivahana, the

242 son of King Meghavahana of saketa to whom I myself imparted the Aparajita Vidya. "Having listened to this account from the saint, Tilakamanjari urged Malayasundari to ask him about Sumali. Seeing that Malayasundari wa afraid to ask, the sage added that on receiving the instruction in the true religion, that lover of her former birth is also born as Samaraketu, the son of King Candraketu of simhala country. This information relieved Malayasundari of her anxiety. "Both Tilakamanjari and Malayasundari were at a , loss as to what to do further, when there entered Citramaya to report that inspite of his search at the Ekasrnga, he could not find prince Harivahana. Tilakamanjari was hopelessly dejected, but, being urged by Malayasundari, she took an aeroplane and herself set out in search of the prince. After a close, though futile, search in various places, she was thoroughly tired and returnned to the hermitage of Malayasundari. On enquiring the attendants about the outcome of their scrutiny, a Vidyadhara youth, named Sandipana, reported that he had seen Prince Harivahana ascending the precipice peak of the Vijayardha mountain and that nothing further was known. This caused Tilakamanjari to swoon. On regaining

243 consciousness she ordered a special worship of Lord Rsabha to whom she sang her last prayer and started for the Adrstapara lake with a resolve to drown hersalf therein. "But a messenger, Prakarsa, from the Vidyadhara King Cakrasena interrupted her at this stage with the message that he had detailed his Vidyadhara soldiers in search of Prince Harivahana, who was supposed to be safe, that the soldiers were despatched with a stipulation of six months, and that Tilakamanjari must tarry that long. This checked her and she postponed the resolve of ending her life. She, then, somehow passed the period of six months, short of one day. On the last day, when I (i.e.Gandharvaka) heard the painful lament of her friends, I decided to throw myself down from the precipice. No sooner did I ascend the precipice-rock, than the Vidyadhara guards arrested, and brought, me in your presence."(Here ends Gandharvaka's report,