Part 2: Arrival at Aṣṭāpada

Then one day the Blessed Vṛṣabha-bannered arrived at Mt. Aṣṭāpada in its turn, intent upon benefiting others, favoring people by the destruction of disease for an entire hundred yojanas, like a cloud in the rainy season by allaying the heat; making them happy by the non-appearance of calamities such as flying insects, mice, and parrots,^[1] like a king all his subjects by the non-appearance of wrong policy; pleasing the people by the complete extinction of hostilities, temporary and permanent, like the sun by the destruction of darkness; delighting the people by the total absence of pestilence, as formerly by the establishment of customs causing prosperity to all; removing from the world excessive rain and drouth by his power, like indigestion (from overeating) and excessive hunger by medicine; a festival being made on account of his arrival by the people of the country delighted at the removal of fear of their own sovereign and of others, like an arrow inside; protecting the world from famine terrible with universal destruction like a sorcerer protecting people from a Rākṣasa, praised greatly by the people; having a halo surpassing the sun, like an endless light that had become external because it could not be contained within; made resplendent by the dharmacakra of unequaled splendor going in advance in the sky, like the Cakravartin by the cakra; glorified by a lofty dharma-dhvaja in front with a thousand small banners, like a pillar of victory over all the karmas; a festival suitable for the march being made, as it were, by the divine drum playing zealously in the sky of its own accord; made splendid by the lion-throne of crystal with a foot-stool in the air as if by glory; setting his feet gracefully, like a king-goose, on golden lotuses moved by the gods; his dress untouched by sharp-pointed thorns, their faces turned down as if wishing to enter the earth from fear; attended by all the seasons at the same time as if to make atonement for the evil of assistance to Anaṅga (Love); homage being made to him from afar, as it were, by the tall trees on the roads by their bent heads, even though they were without consciousness; being attended constantly by a favorable wind, gentle and cool, like a breeze from a fan; his path ahead crossed by birds flying over to the right, as if they knew, “There is no good fortune for those on the left of the Master”; made illustrious by gods and demons to the number of a crore at least.engaged in coming and going, like an ocean with its tidal-waves; adorned with an umbrella in the sky like a moon that has light even by day from the power of devotion; fanned by chauris white as the waves of the Gaṅgā, like separate treasuries of wealth of the moon’s rays; surrounded by lacs of the best ascetics, glowing from penance and gentle, like the moon surrounded by stars; enlightening the souls capable of emancipation at every village and every city, like the sun the lotuses in every river and every pool; wandering over the earth covered with villages, mines, cities, towns approached by land and water, poor towns, towns approached by land or water, isolated villages, hermitages, towns with earthen walls, etc.