Part 16: Ṛṣabha’s nirvāṇa

When he had performed penance for a lac of pūrvas from the time of his initiation, knowing that it was time for his own mokṣa, the Lord went to Aṣṭāpada. He went gradually to Mt. Aṣṭāpada with his retinue, and the Lord ascended it like stairs to the palace of nirvāṇa. Together with ten thousand munis the Lord undertook pādapopagama with a seven days’ fast. The mountain-guards went quickly and announced to the Cakrin Bharata that the Lord of All was thus engaged. When he had heard about the Lord’s rejection of fourfold food, he was pierced by grief like a nail that had entered his body. Then at once touched by a great fire of grief be shed tears like a simisimās tree^[1] drops of water. With his retinue and women of his family, oppressed by pain hard to restrain, the son of Ṛṣabha set out on foot to Aṣṭāpada. He disregarded the stones harsh to his feet. Pain is not felt at all because of sorrow as well as joy. Streams of blood flowed from his feet injured by stones; the course of his footsteps looked as if it were marked with red lac.

The King ignored the people offering conveyances, thinking, “There must be no delay to my going, even for the moment necessary to get in a conveyance.” Even though he had an umbrella over his head, he was very heated as he went. Surely the heat of the mind is not extinguished even by a rain of nectar. Absorbed in grief, he put aside the people offering their hands like ends of branches hanging down on the road. He passed quickly the door-keepers ahead, like a boat traveling on a river passing the trees on the bank. The Cakrin, eager to go as fast as thought, did not consider the chauri-bearers stumbling at every step because of the speed. The King did not know that his pearl necklace, which was shaken constantly because of his speed, was broken by striking against his chest. From thinking only of the Lord he had the door-keeper summon the mountain-guards, though near, to ask again news of the Master. He did not see anything else at all; he did not hear the speech of any one. He thought only of the Lord—like a Yogi engaged in meditation.

Making the road short, as it were, by speed, the Lord of Bharata arrived in a moment at Mt. Aṣṭāpada, like the wind. Unconscious of fatigue, though going on foot like the people, Bharata ascended Mt. Aṣṭāpada. Filled with sorrow and joy, the Cakravartin saw the Lord of the Three Worlds seated there in the paryaṅka posture.^[2] After making pradakṣiṇā three times, and paying homage to the Lord of the World, the Cakrabhṛt sat near, like the shadow of his body. The thrones of the Indras shook as if to say, “Why are they sitting on ns, when the Lord is so situated?” Knowing by clairvoyant knowledge the cause of the thrones’ shaking, the sixty-four Indras went quickly to the Indra of the Jinas. After making pradakṣiṇā and bowing to the Lord of the World, they remained seated, sorrowful, as if painted.

When eighty-nine fortnights of the third spoke in this avasarpiṇī remained, in the forenoon of the thirteenth day of the dark half of Māgha; the constellation Abhīci^[3] being in conjunction with the moon; seated thus in paryaṅka posture, remaining in coarse body-activity, he suppressed coarse speech- and mind-activity. When he had suppressed coarse body-activity by fine body-activity, he suppressed fine speech- and mind-activity. Thus gradually the Lord attained the third pure meditation called sūkṣmakriya with fine body-activity given up.^[4] Then he engaged in the fourth pure meditation named utsannakriya long enough for the utterance of five short letters. All pain abandoned, possessing infinite knowledge and perception, his karma destroyed, his object accomplished, endowed with infinite power and bliss, having an upward course like the seed of the castor-bean, because of absence of earthly bondage the Lord went to mokṣa by a straight path because of his own nature.

The ten thousand munis who had undertaken fasting, mounted on the kṣapakaśreṇi, all had kevala manifested. After entirely suppressing activity of mind, speech, and body they reached the final abode instantly like the Master. From the Master’s nirvāṇakalyāṇa there was happiness, purifying pain, for a moment even for the nārakas who had never experienced a particle of comfort.

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

The MSS. all read simisimā, which seems to be the name of a tree, though no such word is quoted. It must be related to simisimāya, to quiver.

[2]:

The posture of the seated statues of Jinas. The legs are crossed so the foot of one lies on the other about the knee, with the sole up. The hands are held at the waist, the right oh top of the left, with the palms up. Yog. 4.125.

[3]:

The usual form is Abhijit, but all the MSS. agree. The Pk. is Abhīi.

[4]:

Asta° is ia all the MSS., but if this reading is correct, the statement is not strictly accurate. ‘Fine body-activity’ is only breathing, and as soon as that is suppressed, obviously one dies. This happens in the fourth, not the third, pure meditation. It is begun in the third, but not completed.