Essay name: Vasudevahindi (cultural history)
Author:
A. P. Jamkhedkar
Affiliation: Savitribai Phule Pune University / Deccan College Post Graduate and Research Institute Pune
This essay is an English study of the Vasudevahindi reflecting cultural history and traditions of the life of people in ancient and medieval India during the 6th century. The Vasudevahimdi is a romantic and religious tale that revolves around the wanderings of Vasudeva (a former Jain monk) and religious teachings in the guise of love stories, a common theme of poetry in Jainism.
Appendix 1 - Description of Vidyadharas and magical lores
16 (of 118)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
Download the PDF file of the original publication
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
634
Those are Gori, Pannatti, Kesiya, and Manarohini.
Vasudeva had performed austerities for the
acquirement of this mahavijja. For fourteen days he was
asked to recite the suered syllables and observe a complete
fast (niraharo). During the above period he was expected
to observe indifference towards friends and foes, heat and
cold, and keep open his eyes both during the days and the
nights. When Vasudeva was performing this penance, his
beloved, knowing the convention, put on his body the dress
of a young woman!
Vasudeva was also initiated for the loves of
Kesiyapuvva group. He bathed, wore a pair of pat峁璦sadayas,
sat on a dabbhasana which was purified by hymns and flowers,
and recited the vijja. The mantra which was recited was as
follows :
namo arahamtana, namo siddhana, namo bhagavato
adikarassa Risabhassa mahasetussa setakutassa, namo bhagavato
-2
Dharanassa nagara ino abhirakkhadu cch膩da
鈥�
Vasudeva is also said to have performed austerities
for kesiya vijja. The course of austerities consisted of three
instalments, each of which had a duration of seven days.
1. Vh(M), II.124b.
2. Ibid.; II. 19a.
