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
9 (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)
627
rivers (pamcanadi-Samgama) 1. Still another was held on mt.
Harikuda in honour of monk Hari, whose nisihiya was on this
of
mountain, and Jinamadana. The Vidyadharas are said to have
in
worshipped regularly a pool resided by a naga deity. The
story behind this tradition was that in ancient times there
was a king by name Sammadadeva. He, at the end of his career,
deposited his magical sword and shield with the naga deity.
He also asked the deity to give his weapons to the 'hero'
(uttamapurisa) who worshipped the pool Vasudeva, in the
Vh(M), is described to have got them鲁.
As is clear from the story of Gamdhavvadatta,
the Vidyadharas were human beings (manussamitta) and still
could have contact with gods and demi-gods, As the
Vidyadharas joined the gods in their praise of Vi峁噃ukumara,
Tumburu and Narada were very much pleased with them, as
a result of which they were bestowed with proficiency in
music (gamdhavva) 4.
Sometimes, as is known from the story of
cakkava峁弓i Bharaha, certain Vidyadharas were helped by gods.
1. Vh(M), II 167a; see also the story of Samjayamta and
Jayamta in the Vh(P) [p.251-53].
2. Vh(M), II 118ab-119a.
4. Vh(P), 130.
3. Ibid., II.107a.
