Social and Political Life in the Vijayanagara Empire (A.D. 1346 – A.D. 1646) v2.c21.s3.t9.37

v2.c21.s3.t9.37

Another example of a lay Jaina dying in the orthodox manner is given in an epigraph dated A.D. 1408. This record tells us that Gōpa Mahāprabhu was the ruler of the town of Kuppaṭūr in Nāgarakhaṇḍa. He "shone as purified by Jina-dharma, his blameless career like steps to paradise". His son was called Śiriyaṇṇa. "Śiriyaṇṇa's son, the Male-nāḍ, *mahā-prabhu* Gōpaṇṇa, having enjoyed the society of his wives for many days, abandoned family pleasures, and (on the date specified) making gifts to Brahmans of gold, grain, land, cows and all the other gifts,—discarding all pleasures of the mind or the palate, repeating the praises and prayers of the Jina-dharma, taking the hand of the Mōksha-Lakshmi, he with great joy went to heaven, amid the plaudits of all the good. Seeing that, Gōpa's wives, making all gifts to Brahmans, with pure minds doing reverence to the lotus feet of Siddhānta-yōgindra, thinking on the feet of the great Vitarāga, went to heaven.—Gōpāyi and Padmāyi."²