Part 4: Bharata’s visit to Ṛṣabha Svāmin

Likewise the mountain-guards reported to the Cakrin that the Master had arrived at the samavasaraṇa, for they had been appointed for that purpose. He, a liberal giver, gave twelve and a half crores of gold to those announcing the Jina. For all such (as gold) is a trifle. Rising from the lion-throne, taking seven or eight steps in the direction of the Blessed One, he bowed to the Lord with reverence. Seated on the lion-throne again, the King summoned the kings, like Purandara the gods, for going to the Master’s feet. At Bharata’s command, the kings came from all directions at once, like rows of high waves at the rising tide of the ocean. The elephants roared deeply, the horses neighed, as if hastening their own riders to go to the Master. The charioteers and foot-soldiers came, marked with hair erect from joy. The command of the King to go to the Blessed One was like fragrant gold.^[1] The soldiers, though standing, were not contained in the space between Aṣṭāpada and Ayodhyā, like the waters of a great river between two banks. In the sky, the union of the stream of the Mandākinī and the Yamunā took place, as it were, from the white umbrellas and peacock-feather umbrellas. The lances in the hands of the heroes on horseback looked as if other lances were raised with them from their own light streaming forth. The elephants, too, looked as if they had elephants mounted on them from the best heroes who were mounted, giving loud roars of joy. From the Cakrin the soldiers became eager to bow to the Lord of the World. The scabbard of a sword becomes very sharp from its sword. The soldiers gathered together from all sides were announced to the Cakrin, though present, by the great confusion like a door-keeper.

The Cakravartin then made his body pure with a bath, just as the Lord of Munis made purity of mind by victory over love and hate. The Lord of Bharata, after the propitiatory rite of the tilaka and auspicious things had been made, put on clothes and ornaments shining like his own conduct. Adorned with a white umbrella over his head and two white chauris at his sides, he went to the platform at the end of the house. Ascending it, like the sun the eastern mountain, the King mounted the high elephant like the sun the zenith. Spreading delight in the sky by loud sounds of choice musical instruments, such as kettle-drum, conch, and military drum, like water by a water-wheel; surrounding the quarters by elephants with much ichor like clouds; covering the earth with horses like an ocean with waves; accompanied by joy and haste like a wishing-tree by twins, he went instantly to Aṣṭāpada with his retinue and women of his family. He dismounted from the elephant and ascended the great mountain, like an ascetic ascending lofty good conduct from a householder’s practices. He entered the samavasaraṇa by the north door and saw the Lord—the cloud for making shoot up the kandala^[2] of joy.

After making pradakṣiṇā three times and bowing at the Lord’s feet, his folded hands on his head, Bharata began a hymn of praise as follows:

Stuti:

“Praise of you by people like me is like measuring the ocean by pitchers. Nevertheless, I shall praise you, O Master, for I am unrestrained in devotion. People who have associated with you become equal to you, O Lord. For wicks become lights from contact with light. Your teaching, a cure for making free of mada^[3] the best elephant of the senses subject to excitement, teaching the path (to emancipation), prevails. After destroying the destructive-karmas, you are indifferent to the remaining karmas, I think, only to favor the world, O Lord of the Three Worlds.^[4] Clinging to your feet, O Lord, people cross the ocean of existence like crossing the ocean under the wing of Garuḍa. The sight of you, dawn for the deep sleep of delusion of all, satisfies the desire for appearance on the part of the tree of endless happiness. From contact with your lotus-feet people’s karma is destroyed. For elephants’ tusks split from the moon’s rays though gentle.^[5] Your favor, O Lord of the World, is rain from a cloud, moonlight from the moon, beneficial to all.”

After this praise of the Lord of the World, the Lord of Bharata bowed and sat down behind Hari (Śakra), like a Sāmānika-god. The men sat behind the gods, and behind the men the women stood. So the fourfold congregation was inside the first wall, like the fourfold dharma in the faultless teaching of the Master. Inside the second wall stood the joyful animals. Even though (naturally) hostile, they were like affectionate brothers toward each other. Again, inside the third wall were rows of the animals used to convey the kings, etc., who had come, their ears pricked up to hear the sermon. The Master of the Three Worlds delivered a sermon in speech conforming to every dialect, in a voice deep as thunder. Animals, men, and gods listened to the sermon joyfully, as if freed from the load of attachment; as if they had reached the desired abode (mokṣa); as if they had the bath-festival made; as if engaged in meditation; as if they had attained the position of Ahamindra; as if they had attained the absolute.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

This is a popular Gujarātī expression to denote super-excellence.

[2]:

Its blossoms appear suddenly in the rainy season.

[3]:

There is, of course, a double meaning to mada: ‘the ichor of the elephant’ and ‘pride.’

[4]:

I.e., as soon as he destroys the remaining karmas he will attain mokṣa and be unable to assist other people.

[5]:

I have found no parallel reference for this interesting superstition. The verb used is sphuṭ, which must be taken as ‘split,’ or there is no point to the comparison.