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24
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
'The king, understanding this, and seeing the lepra-spots, sent (Mayūra)
away, saying, "You must go." Mayura fixed himself in the temple of
the Sun, sat down, keeping his mind concentrated on the deity, and praised
the Sun with the hundred verses, which begins jambhārātībhakumbhod-
bhavam,¹ etc.
'When he had recited the sixth verse which begins Armaghränanghri-
panin, etc.-the witness of the world's deeds appeared visibly. Mayūra,
bowing to him, said, "Lord, deliver me from my leprosy." The Sun
answered, "Friend, I also suffer even now from leprosy on the feet, in
consequence of a curse, because I had sexual intercourse with the horse-
shaped Ranṇādevī against her will. Nevertheless, I will cover the leprosy
caused by the curse of the faithful wife by giving you one of my rays."
Speaking thus, the Jewel of the Sky went away. That one ray, enveloping
his (Mayura's) body, destroyed the lepra-spots. The people rejoiced.
The King honored him. Bāṇa, being jealous of Mayura's fame, caused
his hands and feet to be cut off, and making a firm resolution, praised
Candika with the hundred verses, beginning ma bhankşir, etc. At the
recitation of the sixth syllable of the first verse Candikā appeared and
restored his four limbs.'
The re-
'Here,' says Bühler, 'I break my translation off.
mainder of the katha states that the Jainas, who were anxious to
show that their holy men could work as great miracles, produced
Manatunga Sūri to uphold their good name. This worthy
allowed himself to be fettered with forty-two iron chains, and to
be locked up in a house. He then composed the forty-four verses
of the Bhaktämarastotra, and freed himself thereby. He of
course converted King Bhoja by this miracle to the Jaina
religion.'
Variations from the Jaina tale as narrated by the anonymous
commentator. The principal variations from the story as just
punning remark: "The varakoḍht has come "'. Resolve varakoḍhi as
varaka-adhi, 'the one wearing a cloak', and also, punningly, as vara-kodhi,
'the one possessing excellent lepra-spots'; kodhi is perhaps dialectic for
kothi, the recognized spelling (cf. also Ettinghausen, Harşa Vardhana,
p. 126, note 1).
1 This is the opening line of Mayūra's Süryaśataka; cf. below, p. 108.
* This is the opening line of Bana's Candidataka; cf. below, p. 267.
* The Bhaktamarastotra has been edited-transliterated text and German
translation by H. Jacobi, in Indische Studien, vol. 14 (1876), p. 363-376;
and also in the Kävyamālā Series, part 7, no. 1, by Durgaprasad and
Panashikar, 3d edition, Bombay, 1907. Other editions are mentioned by
Ettinghausen, Harşa Vardhana, p. 127, note 2. The meter of the Bhakta-
marastotra is vasantatilaka.
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
'The king, understanding this, and seeing the lepra-spots, sent (Mayūra)
away, saying, "You must go." Mayura fixed himself in the temple of
the Sun, sat down, keeping his mind concentrated on the deity, and praised
the Sun with the hundred verses, which begins jambhārātībhakumbhod-
bhavam,¹ etc.
'When he had recited the sixth verse which begins Armaghränanghri-
panin, etc.-the witness of the world's deeds appeared visibly. Mayūra,
bowing to him, said, "Lord, deliver me from my leprosy." The Sun
answered, "Friend, I also suffer even now from leprosy on the feet, in
consequence of a curse, because I had sexual intercourse with the horse-
shaped Ranṇādevī against her will. Nevertheless, I will cover the leprosy
caused by the curse of the faithful wife by giving you one of my rays."
Speaking thus, the Jewel of the Sky went away. That one ray, enveloping
his (Mayura's) body, destroyed the lepra-spots. The people rejoiced.
The King honored him. Bāṇa, being jealous of Mayura's fame, caused
his hands and feet to be cut off, and making a firm resolution, praised
Candika with the hundred verses, beginning ma bhankşir, etc. At the
recitation of the sixth syllable of the first verse Candikā appeared and
restored his four limbs.'
The re-
'Here,' says Bühler, 'I break my translation off.
mainder of the katha states that the Jainas, who were anxious to
show that their holy men could work as great miracles, produced
Manatunga Sūri to uphold their good name. This worthy
allowed himself to be fettered with forty-two iron chains, and to
be locked up in a house. He then composed the forty-four verses
of the Bhaktämarastotra, and freed himself thereby. He of
course converted King Bhoja by this miracle to the Jaina
religion.'
Variations from the Jaina tale as narrated by the anonymous
commentator. The principal variations from the story as just
punning remark: "The varakoḍht has come "'. Resolve varakoḍhi as
varaka-adhi, 'the one wearing a cloak', and also, punningly, as vara-kodhi,
'the one possessing excellent lepra-spots'; kodhi is perhaps dialectic for
kothi, the recognized spelling (cf. also Ettinghausen, Harşa Vardhana,
p. 126, note 1).
1 This is the opening line of Mayūra's Süryaśataka; cf. below, p. 108.
* This is the opening line of Bana's Candidataka; cf. below, p. 267.
* The Bhaktamarastotra has been edited-transliterated text and German
translation by H. Jacobi, in Indische Studien, vol. 14 (1876), p. 363-376;
and also in the Kävyamālā Series, part 7, no. 1, by Durgaprasad and
Panashikar, 3d edition, Bombay, 1907. Other editions are mentioned by
Ettinghausen, Harşa Vardhana, p. 127, note 2. The meter of the Bhakta-
marastotra is vasantatilaka.