Pramāṇa · Search · About · API

Life in Ancient India as Depicted in the Jain Canons, with Commentaries: An Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey c20.s19.t3: Pajjoya and Uddāyaṇa

Life in Ancient India as Depicted in the Jain Canons, with Commentaries: An Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey c20.s19.t3

Language
English

Pajjoya and Uddāyaṇa

c20.s19.t3.1

Another war was declared between Pajjoya and king Uddāyana of Vībhaya. It is said that Uddāyana had a sandalwood image of Mahāvīra in his possession which was looked after by Devadattā, a hunchbacked slave girl. Once a sāvaga from Gandhāra came to worship this image in Vībhaya. He was pleased with Devadattā and gave her some magic pills. Devadattā swallowed one of them and her body was transformed to the semblance of molten gold. Then bearing Pajjoya in mind she swallowed another pill and as a result Pajjoya came hurrying with his elephant, Nalagiri, to take her away. Devadattā, who was now called Suvannagulivā, insisted on taking along the image to which Pajjoya agreed. Next morning, Uddāyana found his slave girl and the image both missing. People saw the foot-prints of Nalagiri, his urine and excrement. Thereupon Uddāyana sent a messenger to Pajjoya saying "I care nothing for the servant girl, send me the image." But Pajjoya would not give the image.

c20.s19.t3.2

In course of time, along with his ten vassals, Uddāyana marched against Pajjoya and reached Ujjeni. A fight ensued between Uddāyana and Pajjoya in which the latter suffered a defeat. His forehead was branded with a frontlet reading "Husband of slave girl" (dāsīpati), and Uddāyana hastened back to his town. After some time, the day of pajjosana approached and Uddāyana pardoned Pajjoya and set him at liberty. Then in order to cover the letters dāsīpati, Uddāyana invested him with a golden plate (suvannapatta) and gave him the realm. It is said that from that time the kings were invested with the plate, before this they were invested with the diadem (maudabaddha)¹³³

c20.s19.t3.3

¹³³ Uttarā Tī, 18, pp 253 ff, Ava. cū, p. 400 f; For other traditions, see P H A.I pp. 97, 123, 165.

Linked texts (1)