This page consists of stanzas 30 to 32 of this Sanskrit version of the popular story of Kālaka.
The text on this page recounts how the eminent Jain monk Kālaka and his allies go to India, where Kālaka demonstrates his powers.
One day Kālaka notices that the Sāhi looks depressed. On asking why, he hears that the Sāhi has received a letter from his overlord ordering him to kill himself and send his head. Kālaka asks whether the Sāhi is the only target of his enemy’s anger and comes to know that 95 Śaka kings are in the same situation.
Following Kālaka’s advice, all the kings depart for the land of Hinduka, meaning the country of the lower Indus river. Accompanied by Kālaka, they reach Saurāṣṭra in Gujarat, where they spend the rainy season. When the monsoon ends, the monk advises the Śaka kings to go to Ujjayinī, capture Gardabhilla, seize his kingdom and share it among themselves.
When they reply that they have no more supplies, Kālaka sprinkles clay bricks with magic powder, turning them into gold. The Śakas can use the gold to buy more supplies and advance against Gardabhilla.
There are several notable things about this page, which is not in perfect condition as the edges are slightly torn.
The Kālaka story is often an appendix to Kalpa-sūtra manuscripts. In many Kalpa-sūtra manuscripts, there is a clear intention to make the manuscript a valuable and remarkable object in itself. This often holds true for the manuscripts of the Kālaka story as well. Here this aim is signalled by the:
There are three ornamental diamonds because this is the verso side of a folio.
This version of the Kālaka story is told in poetry. Verse numbers are at the end of each stanza. They are often in red, like here. On this page are the following numbers:
This means that this page has a large part of verse 30, all of verse 31 and a large part of verse 32.
The bottom of the right margin contains the number 191, which is the folio number. It is a high number because this manuscript is the continuation of a Kalpa-sūtra manuscript. However, the rest of the manuscript is not available.
The elaborate script used is the Jaina Devanāgarī script, which is here like calligraphy. There are a few notable features of this script.
Firstly, it is an old type in the way the sounds e and o are notated when used with a consonant, known as pṛṣṭhamātrā script.
There are red vertical lines within the text marking out verse divisions. Single red vertical lines indicate where a verse is divided in two, while double red vertical lines are found at the end of the verse.
The Kālakācārya-kathā – Story of the religious teacher Kālaka – emphasises the connection between religious practice and magical abilities. As an accomplished Jain teacher, Kālaka can master various magical sciences and transmute brick into gold. He uses his powers to help the Śakas, a foreign population. In exchange, the Śakas help him destroy the wicked King Gardabhilla.
This eventful tale belongs to the Śvetāmbara Jain tradition. It is known in several versions in various languages and is often illustrated.The one in this manuscript is an anonymous text in Sanskrit verse, but the first seven stanzas are missing. Also missing are folios 191 to 197, corresponding to stanzas 33 to 61.
This version is known as Śrīvīra-vākyānumatam from its starting words. It is a short recension, where the story is told in simple language without poetical embellishments. By an unknown author, it is one of the most popular versions of the Kālaka story.
The pages or folios under this shelfmark belong to different manuscripts. The folios show a variety of handwriting, language and artistic style and are on noticeably different paper.
The folios are from four separate manuscripts, as follows:
There is also a manuscript holder made for an unknown manuscript.
It is not known what has happened to the rest of each manuscript.
Copies of the Kalpa-sūtra and Kālakācārya-kathā are often made in a single manuscript, which may be why these folios were bundled together. At some point in the past these folios and the manuscript holder were put into a box at the British Library and labelled ‘Frags. of Jain Mss. Skt. / Pkt.’ meaning 'Fragments of Jain manuscripts in Sanskrit and Prakrit'. However, it is important to remember that they do not belong together.
Wellcome Trust Library. Beta 365. Bhāvadeva. Probably 15th to 16th centuries
British Library. I.O. San. 3177. Unknown author. 1437
British Library. Or. 13475. Unknown author. Perhaps 15th century