Chapter 7: Lokapāla Somadeva

In the city of Rājagṛha,...till having worshipped, made submission as follows:

Q. 144. Bhante! How many have been stated to be the Lokapālas of Śakra, the Indra of the gods, their king?

A. 144. Gautama! (He is) stated to have four Lokapālas. They are, Soma, Yama, Varuṇa and Vaiśramaṇa.

Q. 145. Bhante! How many vimānas the four Lokapālas are stated to possess?

A. 145. Gautama! They are stated to possess four vimānas which are: Sandhyāprabha, Varaśiṣṭa, Svayaṃjvala and Valgu.

Q. 146. Bhante! Where is the great vimāna named Sandhyāprabha of Mahārāja Soma, the Lokapāla of Śakra, the Indra of the gods, their king?

A. 146. Gautama! To the south of Mount Meru, which is in Jambu-dvīpa, a considerable part of the beautiful landscape of the Ratnaprabhā hell is served by the moon, the sun, planets, stars and heavenly bodies. Many yojanas above this, there are five great celestial abodes, which are Aśoka, Saptaparṇa, Campaka, Cūta, with Saudharma in the centre of them. Now, to the east of that great vimāna, Saudharmāvataṃśaka [Saudharmāvataṃsaka], after you have covered an innumerable number of yojanas, you have the great vimāna named Sandhyāprabha, which belongs to Mahārāja Soma, the Lokapāla of Śakra, the Indra cf the gods, their king. Its length and breadth are 12,50,000 yojanas in each direction, and its circumference is slightly more than 39,52,848 yojanas. Other details...till coronation are the same as that of Sūryābha, the difference being that ‘Somadeva’ is to be used in place of ‘Sūryābha’. Just straight beneath the great vimāna named Sandhyāprabha, on the same side and in the same direction, at a distance of an innumerable number of yojanas down is located Somā, the metropolis of Mahārāja Soma, the Lokapāla of Śakra, the Indra of the gods, their king. The length and breadth of this capital city are 1,00,000 yojanas in each direction, and it is as big as Jambu-dvīpa. The fortress, etc., of this capital-city have dimentions which are half of those of the Vaimānika gods, and so...till the construction of the backside of the fortress. The dimensions of the structure in the backside are 16,000 yojanas in each direction. Its circumference is slightly more than 50,597 yojanas. The four palaces need be stated in order, no more.

The following gods take orders from, live in the proximity of, and obey the words and directions of Mahārāja Soma, the Lokapāla of Śakra, the Indra of the gods, their king:

Somakāyika, Somadeva-kāyika²⁵, Vidyutkumāras and Vidyutkumāris (feminine), Agnikumāras and Agnikumāris, Vāyukumāras and Vāyukumāris, the moon, the sun, planets, stars and other heavenly bodies, and many others who are devoted to him, who support him, who are under him—all these take orders from him, live in proximity of him, and obey his words and directions.

All the activities that take place to the south of Mount Meru in this Jambu-dvīpa, such as graha-daṇḍa, graha-mūsala, graha-garjita, graha-yuddha, graha-śṛṅgāṭaka, grahā-pasavya, (these are diverse planetary phenomena), avra, avra-bṛkṣa, evening, city of the Gandharvas, shower of meteors, burning of spheres, roar, lightning, shower of dust, yūpa, yakṣoddīpta, dhūmikā, mahikā, rajodghāta, eclipse of the moon, eclipse of the sun, candra-pariveṣa sūrya-pariveṣa, prati-candra prati-sūrya, rain-bow, udaka-matsya, kapihasita, amogha, wind of the eastern direction, wind cf the western directi on,... till saṃvartaka wind, burning of village...till burning of sanniveśa, destruction of life, destruction of people, destruction of wealth, destruction of race,...till famine, non-Aryan (sinful) acts, and all acts of this nature are not unknown to Mahārāja Soma, the Lokapāla of Śakra, the Indra of the gods, their king; they are not unseen by him; they are not unheard of by him; they are not unremembered by him; they are not particularly unknown to him.

The following gods are like the progeny of Mahārāja Soma, the Lokapāla of Śakra, the Indra of the gods, their king:

Aṅgāraka, Vikolika, Lohitākṣa, Saturn, the moon, the sun, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter and Rāhu.

The life-span of Mahārāja Soma, the Lokapāla of Śākra, the Indra of the gods, their king, is three quarters added to a palyopama, and that of all his subordinate gods who are progeny unto him is one palyopama. Thus Mahārāja Soma is in possession of great fortune,...till great influence.

Q. 147. Bhante! Where is the great vimāna named Varaśiṣṭa of Mahārāja Yama, the Lokapāla of Śakra, the Indra of the gods, their king?

A. 147. Gautama! To the south of the great vimāna named Saudharmāvataṃsaka, at a distance of an unlimited thousand yojanas is located Varaśiṣṭa, the great vimāna of Mahārāja Yama, the Lokapāla of Śakra, the Indra of the gods, their king. Its length and breadth are 12,00,000 yojanas in each direction—all the details being similar to those of the great vimāna of Mahārāja Soma,...till coronation; and so are the details about the capital-city and the row of palaces. The following gods take order from,...till obey the directions of, Mahārāja Yama, the Lokapāla of Śakra, the Indra of the gods, their king:

Yama-kāyika, Yamadeva-kāyika, Preta-kāyika, Pretadeva-kāyika, Asurakumāras, Asurakumāris, Kandarpa, Narakapāla, Abhiyoga and so on who are devoted to Mahārāja Yama, who support him, who are under him,...till take orders from him.

To the south of Mount Meru, which is in Jambu-dvīpa, the activities that take place, viz., obstructions, troubles created by the princes, quarrels, exchanges of words, hatred of each other, great wars, great battles, uses of great weapons, death of great personalities, flow of much blood, (existence of) wicked people, diseases of the maṇḍala, urban diseases, pain in the eyes, in the ears, in the nails, in the teeth, Indra-graha, Skanda-graha, Kumāra-graha, Yakṣa-graha, fever on alternate days, fever at a gap of two days, fever at a gap of four days, restlessness, cough, breathing trouble, debility fever, typhoid, sore on body parts like arm-pits, indigestion, jaundice, piles, fistula, acute pain in the heart, acute pain in the brain, acute pain in the uteras, acute pain in the hips, acute pain in the arm-pits, epidemics in the village, epidemics in the town, etc., etc.,...till in sanniveśa, destruction of life, destruction of people, destruction of race, famines and non-Aryan acts, and such other activities,—these are not unknown to either Yama, the Lokapāla of Śakra, the Indra of the gods, their king, or to the Yama-kāyika gods.

The following gods are progeny-like to Mahārāja Yama, the Lokapāla of Śakra, the Indra of the gods, their king:

Amba, Ambariṣa, Śyāma, Śabala, Rūdra, Uparūdra, Kāla, Mahākāla, Asipatra, Dhanuṣa, Kumbha, Bālū, Vaitariṇī, Kharasvara and Mahāghoṣa—these are fifteen.

The life-span of Mahārāja Yama, the Lokapāla of Śakra, the Indra of the gods, their king, is three quarters added to a palyopama, and that of his progeny-like gods is one palyopama. Maharaja Yama is in possession of such great fortune,...till great influence.

Q. 148. Bhante! Where is the great vimāna named Svayaṃjvala of Mahārāja Varuṇa, the Lokapāla of Śakra, the Indra of the gods, their king?

A. 148. Gautama! To the west of the great vimāna named Saudharmāvataṃsaka, at a distance of an unlimited number of yojanas from Saudharma-kalpa, is located the great vimāna named Svayaṃjvala of Mahārāja Varuṇa, the Lokapāla of Śakra, the Indra of the gods, their king. Details are similar to those of the great vimāna of Mahārāja Soma. And so also about the (entire) vimāna, the capital-city,...till the great palace, difference being only in nomenclature.

The following gods take order from,...till obey the direction of, Mahārāja Varuṇa:

Varuṇa-kāyika, Varuṇadeva-kāyika, Nāgakumāras, Nāgakumāris, Udadhikumāras, Udadhikumāris, Stanitakumāras, Stanitakumāris, and many others who are devoted to him, who support him, and who are under him,...till take orders from him.

In the southern direction of Mount Meru, which is in the Jambu-dvīpa, the activities that take place, viz., heavy rain, mild rain, balanced rain, unbalanced rain, water-springs, lakes, streams, rivers, flooding of villages,...till of sanniveśa, loss of life, etc., etc.,—these are neither unknown to him, nor to the Varuṇa-kāyika gods.

The following are the progeny-like gods of Mahārāja Varuṇa, the Lokapāla of Śakra, the Indra of the gods, their king:

Karkoṭaka, Kardamaka, Añjana, Śaṅkhapālaka, Puṇḍra, Palāśa, Moda, Jaya, Dadhimukha, Ayaṃpula and Kātarika.

The life-span of Mahārāja Vanina, the Lokapāla of Śakra, the Indra of the gods, their king, is slightly less than two palyopamas, and that of his progeny-like gods one palyopama. Mahārāja Varuṇa is in possession of such great fortune,...till great influence.

Q. 149. Bhante! Where is the great vimāna named Valgu of Mahārāja Vaiśramaṇa, the Lokapāla of Śakra, the Indra of the gods, their king?

A. 149. Gautama! This is located to the north of the great vimāna Saudharmāvataṃsaka. Details are the same as those of the great vimāna of Mahārāja Soma,...till capital-city and the great palace.

The following gods take orders from, live in the proximity of, and obey the orders and directions of, Mahārājā Vaiśramaṇa, the Lokapāla of Śakra, the Indra of the gods, their king:

Vaiśramaṇa-kāyika, Vaiśramaṇadeva-kāyika, Suvarṇa-kumāras, Suvarṇakumāris, Dvīpakumāras, Dvīpakumāris, Dik-kumāras, Dik-kumāris, Vāṇa-vyantaras male and female, and many others who support him, and are under him,...till take orders from him.

To the south of Mount Meru, which is in Jambu-dvīpa, the following activities that take place, viz., iron mines, zinc mines, copper mines, lead mines, silver mines, gold mines, diamond mines, vajra-ratna mines, sprinklings of wealth, of silver, of gold, of gems, of thunder, of ornaments, of leaves, of flowers, of fruits, of seeds, of wreaths, of colours, of powders, of perfumes, of clothes, showers of silver, of gold, of gems, of vajra-ratna, of ornaments, of leaves, of flowers, of fruits, of seeds, of wreaths, of colours, of powders, of perfumes, of clothes, of vessels, of milk, good time, bad time, low price, high price, easy begging, difficult begging, purchase, sale, and stock of ghee, jaggery, etc., stock of corn, of treasure, of wealth, treasure whose owners are dead, treasure which there is none to look after, treasure uncared for, treasure of which owners are extinct, treasure of which the name, race and line of the owners are extinct, treasure stored in chambers built at places where three roads meet, at places where four roads meet, in squares or on elevations, on highways, on ordinary thoroughfares, (beneath) city sewerage, in cremation grounds, on hills or in caves, in śānti-gṛha, in a cavern carved out of a mountain, in assembly halls or in residential houses—all these are known to Mahārāja Vaiśramaṇa, the Lokapāla of Śakra, the Indra of the gods, their king; and all these are not unknown, unseen, unheard of, unremembered by, nor are they outside the knowledge either of him or of the Vaiśramaṇa-kāyika gods.

The following gods are progeny-like of Mahārāja Vaiśramaṇa, the Lokapāla of Śakra, the Indra of the gods, their king:

Pūrṇabhadra, Maṇibhadra, Śālibhadra, Sumanobhadra, Cakra, Rakṣa, Pūrṇarakṣa, Sadvān, Sarvayaśa, Sarvakāya, Samṛddha, Amogha and Asaṅga.

The life-span of Mahārāja Vaiśramaṇa, the Lokapāla of Śakra, the Indra of the gods, their king, is two palyopamas, and that of his progeny-like gods is one palyopama. Mahārāja Vaiśramaṇa is in possession of such great fortune,...till great influence.

Bhante! So they are. Glory be to the great Lord. So saying, Bhagavān Gautama paid his homage and obeisance to Śramaṇa Bhagavān Mahāvīra, and having done so, he withdrew to his own seal.

Chapter Seven ends.

Notes (based on commentary of Abhayadeva Sūri):

25. The Sāmānika gods of Soma are called Somadevas. Those who belong to the family of Soma are called Somadeva-kāyika gods. The rest are devoted to, and receive orders from, Soma.