Kālakācārya Kathā
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The Kālakācārya-kathā is a Jain story of the monk Kālakacārya (the acārya Kālaka). The story centers around Kālakā, a Jain monk and scholar who lived around the 1st century BCE. This legend appears mainly in the Śvetāmbara Jain tradition, as well as in several Jain texts, in various linguistic versions such as Prakrit, Sanskrit, and Old Gujarati.[2]
In one of the main episodes, Kālakā's sister is abducted by Gardabhilla, the evil king who rules in Ujjayinī (modern-day Ujjain). Kālakā, being a powerless monk, seeks help to rescue her. He travels to the northwest (Scythian/Saka regions) and convinces the Saka king to assist him.[3] The Saka king then manages to conquer Ujjayinī and rescue the sister. Later, the Saka king and Kālakācārya engage in various dialogues about ethics, dharma, and governance. Eventually, the story also portrays the conversion or moral transformation of the king and emphasizes non-violence, asceticism, and Jain values.[4][2][3]
The narrative reflects Jain principles of righteousness, nonviolence, and the power of ascetic virtue over brute force and arbitrary rule. It also serves as a legendary description of the arrival of the Sakas (Indo-Scythians) in India and the beginning of the Saka era (starting in 78 CE).
The story was often illustrated in Jain manuscripts, especially in Western India during the medieval period.[5][6]
Sources
[edit]- Brown, W. Norman (William Norman) (1933). The story of Kālaka; texts, history, legends, and miniature paintings of the Śvetāmbara Jain hagiographical work, the Kālakācāryakathā. Washington [Baltimore, Md., The Lord Baltimore press].
References
[edit]- ^ Brunner, C. J.; Callieri, Pierfrancesco. INDIA. Brill. p. Plate II.
- ^ a b Brown, W. Norman (William Norman) (1933). The story of Kālaka; texts, history, legends, and miniature paintings of the Śvetāmbara Jain hagiographical work, the Kālakācāryakathā. Washington [Baltimore, Md., The Lord Baltimore press]. pp. 1–13.
- ^ a b "The Siege of Ujjain and the Magic She-Ass: Folio from the Kalakacarya Section of a Kalpasutra Manuscript".
(...) the city of Ujjayini (Ujjain), the capital of Malwa, in which the evil king Gardabhilla is seated while under siege by the armies of the Shahi princes. The ninety-six princes of the Saka clan crossed the Indus River from the northwest and entered western India at the invitation of the Jain monk Kalakacarya, whose sister, a nun, had been abducted by the king of Ujjain. The armies of the Saka clan attacked Ujjain, and a Shahi prince is shown slaying the magic she-ass that guarded the city gate, bringing defeat to the city. The evil king is spared but condemned to an endless cycle of miserable rebirths.
- ^ Shah, Shantilal (1935). The Traditional Chronology of the Jainas: An Outline of the Political Development of India from 543 B.C. to 78 A.D. W. Kohlhammer.
It was a Gardabhilla king called Dappana who, having been struck by the beauty of Sarasvati, a nun and the sister of Kalaka, brought her to his palace.
- ^ "Sanskrit Manuscripts : Kālakācāryakathā". Cambridge Digital Library.
- ^ "Sanskrit Manuscripts : Kālakācāryakathā". Cambridge Digital Library.
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