Nanodopakhyana - Book Summary | JainGPT

Here is a comprehensive summary of the Jain text "Nanodopakhyana" based on the provided pages:

Book Title: Nanodopakhyana Publisher: Rajasthan Prachyavidya Pratishthan, Jodhpur Catalog Link: https://jainqq.org/explore/003406/1

Overall Context:

The book "Nanodopakhyana" is a compilation of three poetic works centered around the story of King Nanda. It is part of the "Rajasthan Puratan Granthamala" series, published by the Rajasthan Oriental Research Institute, Jodhpur, in 1968 CE (Vikram Samvat 2024). The series aims to publish diverse ancient literary works in Sanskrit, Prakrit, Apabhramsa, Hindi, and Rajasthani. The compilation is intended to promote the study and understanding of simpler Sanskrit poetic literature, which can be beneficial for teaching and the propagation of Sanskrit.

The Three Compilations:

Nanodopakhyanam: This work comprises 106 verses and also includes prose passages. The manuscript for this particular compilation was prepared in Samvat 1731 by someone named Deva. The language used is simple Sanskrit with short sentences and minimal use of complex grammatical forms and tenses, making it accessible even to beginners, even simpler than the Hitopadesha.
Nandabatrisi: This compilation is described as very brief in its narrative and its Sanskrit is not entirely pure. It is attributed to Pandit Tattvavijaya Gani.
Nandanṛpakathā (by Sahasrarṣi): This account is completed within a hundred verses. Its author is identified as a resident of Sialkot, and the composition date is given as Samvat 1666, Bhadrapada.

Central Theme and Moral Teaching:

The core moral lesson conveyed through these narratives is the danger of lust and the importance of adhering to the principle of "treat others' wives as your mother" (परनारी के प्रति कुदृष्टि रखना घातक है और 'मातृवत्परदारेषु' का सिद्धान्त ही स्वस्थ सामाजिक जीवन के लिए परमावश्यक है). The story of King Nanda is used to illustrate this, warning against coveting another man's wife.

Beyond this primary moral, the texts also touch upon related themes such as:

Filial piety (पितृभक्ति)
Chastity of wives (पातिव्रत-धर्म)
Political strategies and consequences (राजनीति)
The negative impact of personal weaknesses on rulers, leading to conspiracies, murders, and revenge (राजाओं और राजपुरुषों को कुछ स्वाभाविक दुर्बलतानों के कारण किस प्रकार राज्यों में षड्यंत्र, हत्याकाण्ड तथा प्रतिशोध आदि हुआ करते थे).

Summary of the "Nanodopakhyanam" (The first compilation):

The narrative begins by introducing the city of Nandabhadrpur and its powerful, virtuous, and knowledgeable king, Nanda. The kingdom is prosperous. King Nanda, while passing by the house of his minister Vairochana, hears the beautiful singing of Vairochana's wife, Sundari. Overcome by lust, he collapses. His purohit (priest) intervenes, and through a plan, it is arranged for the minister Vairochana to be sent away on a mission by the king himself.

The king, disguised, enters Sundari's house with a female attendant (dūtikā). Inside, a parrot (śuka) witnesses the king's actions and begins to scold him, reminding him of the consequences of lust and citing examples like Vali and Ravana. The parrot advises against coveting other people's wives. The king initially dismisses the parrot's advice, but the parrot continues to reprimand him, highlighting that even a king's actions have consequences and that those who protect should not become predators.

The attendant then asks for a jewel (karṇakuṇḍala) as payment. The king, remembering the parrot's words, refuses to drink water from a well that might be tainted, drawing an analogy to the attendant's request. This implies that he is now being more cautious due to the parrot's counsel and perhaps the attendant's implied ulterior motives.

Meanwhile, Vairochana, having completed his mission, returns. He hears the parrot's words about the king's visit to his house and the king's desire for his wife. Realizing the king's betrayal, Vairochana is initially struck with fear and guilt, contemplating his own potential downfall.

The narrative then shifts to a hunting expedition where the king and Vairochana get separated from the main army. They find a beautiful pond. On the wall of the pond, they see a verse warning against keeping a disloyal minister. The king, suspecting Vairochana, deliberately smudges the verse with mud. Vairochana, upon seeing the mud-smeared verse and understanding its implication, realizes the king's distrust and designs a plan.

While the king rests under a tree, Vairochana, disguised as a gardener (māli), kills the king and hides the body. He then manipulates the situation, making it appear as if the king was attacked by a wild boar or that the tree branch fell. The king's horse returns riderless, causing panic and grief in the kingdom.

The king's son, Nandaka, is installed on the throne. Vairochana continues to serve as the minister, advising Nandaka. The story then describes an incident where King Nandaka overhears a conversation between a man and his wife that echoes the initial situation of King Nanda's lust. This conversation involves the man lamenting his wife's beauty and comparing it to Vairochana. Nandaka investigates this conversation, leading to the revelation of Vairochana's past misdeeds.

Nandaka confronts Vairochana. Vairochana, in turn, confesses to killing King Nanda, driven by his own lust for Sundari and by the verse on the pond wall. Vairochana's son, witnessing his father's confession and realizing the gravity of his father's actions, kills Vairochana.

The king's soldiers raid Vairochana's house, finding it emptied of valuables (as they were previously given to Brahmins). Sundari, Vairochana's wife, sets her house on fire. Vairochana's son, recognizing the justice of his actions and the family's fate, prepares to take his own life. However, King Nandaka intervenes, spares him, and appoints him to a position of responsibility. Vairochana is sent on a pilgrimage. King Nandaka rules happily, his minister being the son of Vairochana.

Summary of "Nandabatrisi":

This section presents a somewhat corrupted Sanskrit version of the King Nanda narrative. It includes similar episodes of King Nanda's lust, the parrot's advice, the incident at the pond, and the disloyalty of the minister, but the narrative flow and poetic quality are less refined than the first compilation. It ends with the attribution to Pandit Tattvavijaya Gani.

Summary of "Nandanṛpakathā" (by Sahasrarṣi):

This version, attributed to Sahasrarṣi of Sialkot, also tells the story of King Nanda's infatuation. The king goes hunting, gets separated, and feels thirsty. He finds a pond and sees a strange gathering of bees around a durva grass, which a washerman explains is due to the scent of the minister's wife's clothes. The king desires to see her. He visits the minister's house, is chastised by a parrot for his lust, and is warned about the consequences of coveting others' wives.

The king, along with the minister, goes hunting again and they get separated. They find a pond with a verse inscribed on the wall warning against a disloyal minister. The king, suspecting his minister, covers the verse with mud. The minister understands and plans his revenge. While the king rests, the minister kills him. A gardener witnesses the murder and, fearing for his life, causes a tree branch to shake, alerting the minister to his presence. The minister flees, and later declares that the king has been killed by someone. He then installs Sunanda (presumably the king's son) on the throne.

Later, while wandering incognito, King Nandaka (the son) overhears a conversation between a gardener and his wife. The gardener laments his wife's beauty, comparing her to a branch of Vairochana, which is burning him like Vairochana burns him. The king is intrigued and learns that Vairochana had killed his father (King Nanda) and that the gardener had witnessed it. The gardener, after being summoned and questioned by the king, points to the body of the minister, which has been eaten by animals. The king then carries out a ritualistic punishment of the minister's remains. The story reiterates the moral against lust, citing King Nanda's downfall as an example for others.

Publisher's Note (Pradhan Sampadakiy Vaktavya):

The editor, Fateh Singh, expresses satisfaction in finally publishing this collection, which had been printed in 1952 but delayed. He highlights the simplicity of the Sanskrit in "Nanodopakhyanam" as its key feature, making it suitable for beginners. He also notes that some verses from other texts, like the Panchatantra, have been included. The publication is seen as a valuable resource for Sanskrit education and propagation.