The story begins with Devdarshan, a poor brahman who prays to agni for wealth.

This
indicates that not all brahmans enjoyed the high status of priests in royal courts and so tells
us about the difference between actual status and ritual status of brahmanas. Mention of
agni suggests continuation in agni worship from vedic times even when other deities became
more important. Next day the Devdarshan woke up to find a young child wearing garland of
jewels placed on a pitcher full of gold. This child was named Sridarsana. He grew up
learning vedas and interestingly use of weapons which according to the normative texts
should be only learned by kshatriyas and so it can indicate fluidity in the varna system. As he
grew up his father died in a sacred bathing place when he was on pilgrimage which shows
that tirth yatra as brahmanical practice. The grief stricken Sridarsana started gambling and
so his friend Mukharakh tries to motivate him by telling a tale of a king named Bhunandana
who wanted to meet the apsara he saw in a dream. He leaves his kingdom and starts
ascetic practices. On being unsuccessful he thinks about taking his own life but then a
hermit comes and tells him that one must face sorrows as long as they retain their body and
so one should devote to god. But worshipping a single deity is short lived therefore one
should worship brahma vishnu and shiva together. This statement not only preaches ideas of
devotion and bhakti but also suggests that the three deities were becoming equally
important. Perhaps it warns Bhunandana and the readers against considering one deity
superior which seems to be the norm.

With this story Mukarakha tells Sridarsana that sorrows are part of life and afterwards they
set out to the kingdom of Shrisena who had an asylum for gamblers. On their way a maiden
warns them about a great brahmin bandit named Vasubhuti. This once again indicates that
the varna system was not followed completely and brahmanas also had vices. The bandit
lived in Sughosh, an area given as land grant to a brahmana. This tells us about agrahara
practice. In the end they escape and after fighting a vetala Sridarshan is adopted by
Shrisena and later becomes his successor. So Sridarshana’as story portrays Brahmin as a
heterogenous group of magicians, bandits, gamblers and kings. In terms of religion it tells us
about pilgrimage practices and coming together of brahma shiva and vishnu and in terms of
economic aspects it tells us about practice of agrahara. Mustard on two occasions has been
used as an auspicious symbol which might be because of the growing importance of this
cash crop.