Part 6: Kunthu’s initiation

Reminded by the Lokāntikas, “Found a congregation,” the Lord gave gifts for a year and the kingdom to his son. The Master, whose departure-festival was held by kings and gods, went to Sahasrāmravaṇa, seated in the palanquin Vijayā. The Lord entered the garden which was delightful from the south wind, like a young man, kissing the shoots of the campakas, shaking the branches of the mangoes, making the vāsantikās dance, delighting the nirguṇḍis, embracing the lavalīs, touching the new jasmines, making open the trumpet-flowers, approaching the lotuses, going near the aśoka-shoots, favoring the plantains; which was made beautiful by women engaged in swinging; with rich young people from the city occupied in the sport of gathering flowers; giving a welcome, as it were, from the sweet cries of the excited cuckoos and the humming of bees.

The Lord got out of the palanquin, abandoned his ornaments, et cetera, and became a mendicant together with a thousand kings, while observing a two-day fast, on the fifth day of the black half of Vaiśākha in the afternoon, (the moon being) in the Kṛttikās. He attained the fourth knowledge called ‘mind-reading.’ On the next day the Master broke his fast with rice-pudding in the house of King Vyāghrasiṃha in the city Cakrapura. The five things, the stream of treasure, et cetera, were made there by the gods; but a platform of jewels was made by Vyāghrasiṃha on the place of the Lord’s feet.