History of Gujarát: Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency, Volume I, Part I.Campbell, James M.
History
History of Gujarát: Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency, Volume I, Part I.
Campbell, James M.
Gujarat (India) -- History
Under the name Sadharo Jesingh, Siddharája's memory is fresh in
Gujarát as its most powerful, most religious, and most charitable
ruler. Almost every old work of architectural or antiquarian interest
in Gujarát is ascribed to Siddharája. In inscriptions he is styled The
great king of kings, The great lord, The great Bhattáraka, The lord
of Avantí, The hero of the three worlds, The conqueror of Barbaraka,
The universal ruler Siddha, The illustrious Jayasimhadeva. Of these
the commonest attributes are Siddhachakravartín the Emperor of Magic
and Siddharája the Lord of Magic, titles which seem to claim for
the king divine or supernatural powers. [576] In connection with his
assumption of these titles the Kumárapálaprabandha, the Dvyásraya,
and the Prabandhachintámani tell curious tales. According to the
Dvyásraya, the king wandering by night had subdued the Bhútas, Sákinís,
and other spirits. He had also learnt many mantras or charms. From
what he saw at night he would call people in the day time and say 'You
have such a cause of uneasiness' or 'You have such a comfort.' Seeing
that he knew their secrets the people thought that the king knew the
hearts of all men and must be the avatára of some god. A second story
tells how Siddharája helped a Nága prince and princess whom he met by
night on the Sarasvatí. [577] According to a third story told in the
Kumárapálaprabandha two Yoginís or nymphs came from the Himálayas and
asked the king by what mystic powers he justified the use of the title
Siddharája. The king agreed to perform some wonders in open court
in the presence of the nymphs. With the help of a former minister,
Haripála, the king had a dagger prepared whose blade was of sugar and
its handle of iron set with jewels. When the king appeared in court
to perform the promised wonders a deputation of ambassadors from king
Permádi of Kalyánakataka [578] was announced. The deputation entered
and presented the prepared dagger as a gift from their lord. The king
kept the prepared dagger and in its stead sent all round the court
a real dagger which was greatly admired. After the real dagger had
been seen and returned the king said: I will use this dagger to show
my mystic powers, and in its place taking the false dagger ate its
sugar blade. When the blade was eaten the minister stopped the king
and said Let the Yoginís eat the handle. The king agreed and as the
Yoginís failed to eat the handle which was iron the superiority of
the king's magic was proved.
A fourth story in the Dvyásraya tells that when the king was planning
an invasion of Málwa a Yoginí came from Ujjain to Patan and said
'O Rája, if you desire great fame, come to Ujjain and humbly entreat
Kálika and other Yoginís and make friends with Yasovarman the Rája
of Ujjain.' The king contemptuously dismissed her, saying, 'If you
do not fly hence like a female crow, I will cut off your nose and
ears with this sword.'
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