Pruthvipal Rajani Katha Tatha Kakjangh Kokashni Katha

This Jain text, titled "Pruthvipal Rajani Katha tatha Kakjangh Kokashni Katha" (The Story of King Pruthvipal and the Story of Kakjangh and Kokash), authored by Jinendrasuri, is a compilation of two distinct moral narratives. The publisher is Harshpushpamrut Jain Granthmala.

Part 1: The Story of King Pruthvipal

The story begins with King Pruthvipal of Pruthvipur, a wise and intelligent ruler who was skeptical of religious scriptures. His skepticism stemmed from observing that virtuous people often suffered from poverty and illness, while those seemingly lacking in virtue enjoyed prosperity.

To test the validity of the scriptures, particularly a verse stating that righteousness leads to good and unrighteousness to bad, King Pruthvipal devises a series of elaborate tests. He uses deception and disguises to observe the true nature of his subjects.

Test 1: The Virtuous Father and Son Pruthvipal falsely accuses a renowned virtuous man and his son of disobeying him and throws them into prison. He then feigns a severe illness. The father and son, overhearing the king's supposed predicament, express genuine concern for his well-being, even though they are suffering due to his machinations. They acknowledge their own past karma as the cause of their suffering and wish the king well. Their selfless concern, even in their own distress, proves their virtue to the king.

Test 2: The Wicked Father and Son Pruthvipal then elevates a wicked father and son, showering them with honors. He again feigns illness, and the wicked individuals, hearing of the king's supposed impending death, rejoice and eagerly anticipate seizing his kingdom. Their selfish and cruel conversations are overheard by the king's spies. This test confirms their depraved nature.

Test 3: The Poor Beggar Next, Pruthvipal encounters a destitute beggar. He offers the beggar immense wealth and a life of luxury, urging him to abandon his beggar's guise. However, the beggar, attached to his current state and perhaps fearful of change or distrustful of the sudden offer, refuses to change his appearance. When forced, he vomits after eating and subsequently falls ill. Despite the king's efforts to heal him with various remedies, the beggar remains afflicted by his ailments. He eventually attempts to steal poison but is stopped by a physician who explains the dire consequences of such an act. The beggar is then instructed to live a life of extreme austerity and renunciation to survive. He chooses to follow a monastic-like path but refuses to formally take initiation. The story highlights how some individuals, due to their inherent nature or past karma, cannot escape suffering even when offered opportunities for relief.

Test 4: The King's Own Journey To test the fourth aspect of his religious verse, Pruthvipal decides to test himself by traveling incognito to a foreign land. During his journey, he encounters a Yaksha (a celestial being) who offers him boons. Pruthvipal, however, engages in a philosophical debate with the Yaksha, arguing that true happiness and power are not derived from external boons but from inner strength and self-control. He questions the efficacy of celestial powers, pointing out the suffering even deities experience. The Yaksha, impressed by Pruthvipal's wisdom, pledges to fulfill his wishes whenever called upon.

Pruthvipal then travels to the city of Kushasthal, ruled by King Chandra. He observes King Chandra's two daughters, Sulochana and Suvadan, who are equally beautiful and accomplished. When asked to debate the primacy of destiny (karma) versus effort (udyam), Sulochana champions effort, citing examples of success achieved through hard work. Suvadan, on the other hand, argues for the paramount importance of destiny, illustrating her point with analogies like seeds needed for agriculture. Their debate is presented through a story within a story: two men, one advocating for karma and the other for udyam, are imprisoned by a king. The karma advocate waits passively, while the udyam advocate finds hidden food, demonstrating the power of effort. However, the karma advocate then finds a precious gem within the food, attributing it to his good karma and suggesting that his karma also inspired the udyam advocate's efforts. This internal story emphasizes the interconnectedness and complex interplay of karma and udyam.

The story continues with the king's daughters' past lives being revealed by a Jain guru. Sulochana was a stingy merchant's wife (Dhanashri) who, despite performing some religious duties, bound severe karma due to her miserliness. Suvadan was a generous merchant's wife (Dhanaprabha) who gained merit through her charitable deeds. This revelation solidifies the importance of karma in determining one's circumstances.

King Chandra, influenced by his daughters' past lives and the guru's teachings, ultimately embraces Jainism, renounces his kingdom, and attains salvation. Pruthvipal, having tested the principles of dharma and having witnessed the power of karma and the importance of scripture, embraces Jainism wholeheartedly. Through his devotion to scriptural knowledge (Shrutgyan), he attains Kevalgyan (omniscience) and eventually Moksha (liberation).

Part 2: The Story of Kakjangh and Kokash

This part of the text narrates the story of Kakjangh, a talented carpenter (rathkar) from the city of Parak. His father, Semil, tried to teach him carpentry, but Kakjangh showed little aptitude. However, his father's maid's son, Kokash, who was born from a Brahmin, was a diligent observer. By merely listening, Kokash mastered all the carpentry skills, even surpassing his teacher.

After Semil's death, his less capable son Devila was appointed ruler, but King Jitshatru of Patliputra, impressed by Kokash's skills, appointed him instead. This highlights how merit, not lineage, should determine authority.

Kokash, after hearing a religious discourse, embraced Jainism. The story then shifts to King Vichardhval of Ujjain, who possessed four extraordinary servants: a cook who could make people hungry at will, a bed-maker who ensured restful sleep and timely waking, a masseur who could absorb and return large quantities of oil without discomfort, and a treasurer who secured wealth immaculately.

King Vichardhval, feeling detached from worldly pleasures, decided to take diksha (initiation). As he had no heir, he planned to hand over his kingdom to a relative. However, King Jitshatru of Patliputra attacked Ujjain. Coincidentally, Vichardhval died from a severe illness at that time. His ministers surrendered the kingdom and its treasures to Jitshatru.

Jitshatru examined Vichardhval's four servants and found them as skilled as described. He then tested the masseur, leaving a small amount of oil on his thigh. Other masseurs failed to remove it, but Vichardhval's masseur could. The next day, however, he could not, and his thigh became discolored, earning him the name "Kakjangh" (Crow-thighed). This incident illustrates that even extraordinary skills are subject to limitations or karmic influences.

Meanwhile, a severe famine struck the land, forcing many to migrate. Kokash, with his family, moved to Ujjain. Unable to secure employment due to the king's plight, Kokash ingeniously crafted wooden pigeons. These pigeons, imbued with his skill, flew to the royal granary, collected grain, and returned to Kokash. He used this grain to sustain his family.

When the granary guards discovered the wooden birds, they apprehended Kokash and brought him before King Jitshatru. Impressed by Kokash's craftsmanship and honesty, Jitshatru asked if he knew other skills. Kokash explained he could create flying wooden birds like peacocks, swans, and Garuda. Intrigued, the king commissioned a Garuda for him to fly and survey the land. This Garuda allowed them to travel to various holy sites in Jainism, including Bharuch, Kaan (Ravana's kingdom), Siddhachal, and Girnar. Kokash narrated the history and significance of these pilgrimage sites to King Jitshatru, gradually instilling in him a devotion to Jainism.

King Jitshatru, with Kokash's guidance, embraced Jainism and took twelve vows, including a vow of non-travel beyond 100 yojanas in any direction per day. While flying in the wooden Garuda with his queen, Yashel, another queen, Vijaya, driven by jealousy, secretly removed a crucial pin from the Garuda.

When the Garuda malfunctioned far from their kingdom, Jitshatru was distressed. Kokash, realizing the sabotage, explained the severity of deliberately breaking a vow versus inadvertently breaking one. He insisted they land immediately, as continuing would violate the vow. The king, though remorseful, agreed to stop.

They landed near a lake, and Kokash went to find a carpenter to repair the Garuda. While he was gone, the Garuda's wings collapsed. Kokash, returning, found the king and queen stranded. He then devised a plan to rescue them. He made a beautiful, self-moving wooden lotus-like structure. He invited King Kanakprabh (presumably the ruler of the area they landed in) and his entourage into this structure, intending to trap them. The king, mesmerized by the craftsmanship, entered with his court. Kokash then revealed his intentions, and the lotus structure closed, trapping everyone inside.

The local people tried to break open the structure but failed. They then pleaded with Kokash to release their king. Kokash agreed, but only if King Kanakprabh served his own father, King Jitshatru, as a servant. This condition was accepted.

After their release, Kokash brought the rescued King Jitshatru and his family back to their city. Later, at a religious discourse, Kokash and his father learned their past lives. King Jitshatru was formerly King Gajpur, and Kokash was a skilled carpenter who, out of jealousy, slandered another carpenter. This led to them being imprisoned for six months in their past life and consequently being born as king and carpenter in this life. Kokash's caste-based pride in this life led to his birth as a maid's son.

Upon understanding their karma, King Jitshatru abdicated his throne to his son, Kokash, and along with his other queen, took diksha and attained Moksha. King Kakjangh, inspired by Kokash's wisdom and devotion, also followed the path of righteousness, attained liberation, and reached the highest spiritual state.

The book emphasizes the Jain principles of karma, destiny, effort, the importance of scriptural knowledge (Shrutgyan), and the path to spiritual liberation.