Dhurtakhyana In The Nisithacurni - Book Summary

Here's a comprehensive summary of the provided Jain text, "Dhurtakhyana in the Nisithacurni" by Dr. A. N. Upadhye:

This essay by Dr. A. N. Upadhye explores the presence and nature of the Dhurtakhyana (Tale of Rogues/Clever Ones) within the Nisithacurni, a commentary by Jinadasa-gani Mahattara on the Jain scripture Nisitha.

Discovery and Content:

Dr. Upadhye's research was prompted by a reference indicating that the Nisithacurni contained information about the rogue Elāsādha, a character central to the Dhurtakhyana.
He gained access to cyclostyled extracts from the Nisithacurni (Volume I, pp. 92-95), which contained a fully developed story in Prakrit prose, interspersed with Sanskrit verse quotations.
The Nisithacurni itself presents three gathas (verses) from the Niśīthabhāsya that provide "clue words" for the illustrative tale. These verses mention Sasaka, Elāsādha, Mūladeva, and Khandapana, along with the setting of an old park near Ujjaini and a context of hunger and the need for food.
The Curni concludes with a statement: "The rest should be understood according to the Dhuttakkhanaga. The worldly lie is finished." This suggests that the Nisithacurni's account is either a selection from a longer work or a summary.

The Story as Presented in the Nisithacurni:

The Nisithacurni narrates the story of four main rogues: Sasaka, Elāsādha, Mūladeva, and a female rogue named Khandapana. Each commands an army of five hundred rogues.

The Premise: During a week of heavy rain, oppressed by hunger, they decide that each should narrate an experience or piece of information. Whoever's story is not believed by the others must provide a feast for all. However, if a story is confirmed with parallels from scriptures like the Mahabharata or Ramayana, the narrator is exempt from giving a feast.
Elāsādha's Tale: Elāsādha recounts an incredibly elaborate story. While taking cows to the forest, he encountered robbers. He packed the cows into his blanket and returned to his village. The village, including men and animals, miraculously entered a cucumber to hide from the robbers. A goat swallowed the cucumber, a boa gulped the goat, and a crane swallowed the boa. The crane, perched on a Vata tree, was then grabbed by an elephant tied to the tree. The crane flew, lifting the elephant. This caused a commotion, leading skilled archers to shoot down the crane. The crane was dissected, and the boa, goat, and cucumber were recovered. The village, along with Elāsādha's cows, emerged from the cucumber, and everyone dispersed. Elāsādha then asks if his story is true. When affirmed, he challenges the logistics of cows fitting in a blanket and a village in a cucumber. The others justify this by citing the Mahabharata, where the entire universe was contained within an egg, and Vishnu's stomach. They also point out that the universe was in Vishnu, who was in Devaki's womb, and so on, implying a chain of containment.
Sasaka's Tale: Sasaka claims that after ploughing, he sowed sesame seeds which grew into massive trees. When pursued by a wild elephant, he climbed a sesame tree. The elephant shook the tree, causing sesame seeds and oil to pour down, in which the elephant got stuck and died. Sasaka made a bag from its skin and filled it with oil. He ate a load of sesame cakes and drank pots of oil. He placed the oil-filled bag on a tree branch and went home. His son pulled the tree to get the bag. He asks for belief or a feast. The others confirm it, citing similar vastness described in scriptures, like a stream that engulfed an entire army, and the possibility of a large sesame tree based on a drum being carved from a māṣa plant.
Mūladeva's Tale: As a youth, seeking prosperity, Mūladeva went for a bath with a gourd-kettle and an umbrella. A wild elephant attacked him. He entered the gourd-kettle through the spout. The elephant also entered, and he eluded it inside for six months. He escaped through the spout, but the elephant's tail got stuck. He reached the Ganges, crossed it, and endured its stream on his head for six months. He then returned. He asks for belief or a feast. The others validate his story by comparing it to the origin of various castes from Brahma's body, the containment of Brahmā and Vishnu within the Linga, and Hanuman crossing the ocean. They also compare his endurance of the Ganges stream to Pasupati holding Ganga in his matted hair for years.
Khandapana's Tale: Initially, the rogues refuse Khandapana's suggestion to submit to her, valuing their dignity. She then reveals she is the daughter of a king's washerman. While washing clothes with a cartload, a strong wind blew all the washed clothes away. Fearing the king, she transformed into a lizard and then a mango tree in a garden. Upon hearing that the washermen were pardoned, she regained her human form. Since the cart ropes were eaten by jackals, her father made new ropes from a buffalo's tail. She asks for belief. The others confirm it, citing the inability of Brahma and Kesava to reach the end of the Linga, Hanuman's tail being used to burn Lanka, and other instances of transformation in scriptures.
Khandapana's Second Tale: Khandapana then suggests they submit to her lest they be humiliated. They refuse. She smiles and states that she went searching for runaway slave-servants and clothes with the king's permission. She found them: the slave-servants are them, and the clothes they wear are the lost ones. If true, they should give the clothes; if false, the feast.

Comparison with Haribhadra's Dhurtakhyana:

Dr. Upadhye then compares the Dhurtakhyana found in the Nisithacurni (which he refers to as JD, implying Jinadasa's Dhurtakhyana from the Curni) with Haribhadra's Dhurtakhyana (HD).

Characters: JD features four rogues (Sasaka, Elāsādha, Mūladeva, Khandapana), while HD includes a fifth, Kandarika. The order of narration also differs slightly, with Mūladeva being more prominent in HD.
Narrative Structure: In JD, Elāsādha, Sasaka, Mūladeva, and Khandapana narrate sequentially, and their stories are confirmed by "all the rogues." In HD, Elāsādha's story is narrated by Kandarika, with Elāsādha confirming it.
Confirmation and Details: JD confirms incredible details with fewer scriptural parallels (two in Elāsādha's case, two for Sasaka, and five for Mūladeva). HD, however, draws upon a wider range of mythology, providing more detailed episodes for confirmation (six for Elāsādha, ten for Sasaka, and eight for Mūladeva).
Style: JD is described as uniformly simple and direct, with words and phrases often appearing directly in HD. HD, on the other hand, is characterized as more elaborated, with a polished style, more characters, and more logical and effective presentation of Purāṇic tales.
Satire and Propaganda: While JD serves as a simple illustration of worldly falsehood (Laukika-musāvāda), HD is presented as a more developed satirical treatise with a thought-out frame. HD's satire is more subtle and effective, and it includes seeds of religious propaganda, elaborated in later texts like the Dharmaparīkņā.
Relationship: Dr. Upadhye concludes that HD is an elaborated and perfected work based on JD or a precursor. Haribhadra likely used the story preserved in the Nisithacurni as a basis for his own work, significantly enhancing it with his literary genius, logical acumen, and extensive learning.

Chronological Implications:

The comparison does not violate the relative chronology of the authors. Jinadāsagani Mahattara, the author of the Nisithacurni, is assigned Saka 598 (677 AD), while Haribhadra is placed around 750 AD. This supports the idea that Haribhadra built upon an earlier version of the Dhurtakhyana found in the Curni.

In essence, the essay highlights that the Nisithacurni contains a version of the Dhurtakhyana which, though less elaborate, serves as a direct illustration of worldly deception. This earlier narrative was then significantly expanded and refined by Haribhadra into a sophisticated satirical masterpiece with deeper thematic undertones.