Literature

The story of Bhadrabāhu and his intelligent minster

There lived a king named Bhadrabāhu in the Magadha kingdom. He had an intelligent minister named Mantragupta.

Śāṇḍilya who had cried hoarse seeing Vasantasenā body isn’t so sad seeing his preceptor dead, he calls him vācāla - which positively means a great orator but also has a negative connotation signifying that he blabbers a lot! Calls him yogavit - knower of yoga but finally ends his words by stating “even scholars would finally die!” as a matter of fact!

अव्याद्वो विघ्नविध्वंसकीर्तिस्तम्भमिवोत्क्षिपन् ।
करं गणपतिः क्रीडालीनभृङ्गाक्षरावलिम् ॥
[Let the deity, Gaṇeśa protect you, he plants his trunk like a victory pillar (Kīrtistambha) with the swarming bees around it looking like the letters on the pillar proclaiming his victory over obstacles]

We quote the translation of  the verse uttered by Yamapuruṣa as rendered by Lockwood and Bhat to further the discussion.

श्यामां प्रसन्नवदनां मधुरप्रलापां
मत्तां विशालजघनां वरचन्दनाद्राम् ।
रक्तोत्पलाभनयनां  नयनाभिरामां
क्षिप्रं नयानि यमसादनमेव बालाम् ॥२३॥

नमताशेषविघ्नौघवारणं वारणाननम् |
कारणं सर्वसिद्धीनां दुरितार्णववारणम् ||

We pray to the elephant faced Ganeśa, who removes all traces of torrents of obstacles!
Who is the cause of all achievements and warder-off of the ocean of hardships!

A discussion about scriptural authority follows. Finally the fundamental question of the utility of learning itself comes up. Parivrājaka patiently explains everything with verses which are alluded to before already. He also says that sometimes just to know the utility of learning one needs to learn first!