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[Full title: Informative stories; (A) Caritas of Eminent persons; (10) The story of Sanatkumara]

At the time of listening to the parentage and the enumeration of the previous births of the sixty-three illustrious persons of the Jaina faith, Srenika makes inquiry about the cause of the handsomeness of Sanatkumara (the fourth Cakravartin). narrates the story (20.114-132). Gautama Meghabahu on account of professing the Jaina faith was reborn as a Yaksa. He served some Sramanasangha and after his death was reborn as king Dharmaruci, son of Suprabha and Tilakasundari of Mahapura. He renounced the world and was reborn as a celestial being. From there he was reborn as Cakravartin Sanatkumara being the son of Sahadeva of Gajapura. Once on being praised by two gods for his handsomeness, he got puffed up and after having taken a bath and having adorned his body with resplendent garments he reappeared before the gods. But this time his countenance had become mild. Being told of it by the gods, he renounced the world, bore hardships suffering from many diseases, performed penances and attained many mystic powers. Once when he went to Vijayapura, his diseases vanished and he was greeted with a down-pour of gems (35.69-70). After his death he was reborn in the Sanatkumara heaven. He is referred to in the Uttaradhyayana (18.37), the Sthanangasutra (10.718) and the Tiloyapannatti (4.515). The Maranasamahi (410-411) mentions that Sanatkumara suffered diseases. The Vasudevahindi Vol. I. (p.233) mentions him as the son of Asvasena and Sahadevi. The two celestials went to see him in the disguise of Brahmins. When Sanatkumara suffered from diseases, Indra went to him as a physician, but the former refused to take his treatment and preferred to suffer his own karmas though he had powers to cure his diseases. The previous births are not narrated. The Paumacariya (20.137-163) mentions Hemabahu for Meghabahu. In the Uttara-purana (61 104-130) his previous births are not narrated. He is the son of Anantavirya of Vinitanagara (Ayodhya) born of Sahadevi. He is said to have attained emancipation. The Mahapurana (59 17) agrees with the Uttara-purana The Trishashti Shalaka Purusha-caritra (III. p. 167f) describes four previous births of Sanatkumara but the theme differs. According to it, king Vikramayasas kidnapped the wife of Nagadatta. The king after his death was reborn in the Sanatkumara heaven and thereafter as a merchant Jinadharma at Ratnapura. Nagadatta was reborn as a Brahmin. He became a threestave ascetic and out of previous enmity he took food in a hot dish arranged to be put on the back of Jinadharma with the help of the

INTERVENING STORIES 151 king of Ratnapura. Jinadharma renounced the world and was reborn as Indra and that ascetic (Nagadatta) as his elephant. Indra got reborn as Sanatkumara, his parents being Sahadevi and Asvasena of Hastinapura. The Trishashti Shalaka Purusha-caritra furnishes more details about his marriage. In other respects it agrees with the Paumacariya The two gods came again as physicians to cure monk Sanatkumara but he did not like to take any treatment and decided to suffer his own Karmas. Devendraganin, the commentator of Uttaradhyayana narrates the same version of the story as related in the Trishashti Shalaka Purusha-caritra Sanatkumara is said to have belonged to the Kuruvamsa. In the Brahmanical literature, Sanatkumara is said to be one of the mind-born sons of Brahma. The other three sons are Sanaka. Sananda and Sanatana (Bhagavatapurana, 3. 12. 4). They are described as counsellors and companions of Visnu (MWSD).