Part 12: Ajita’s omniscience

The Lord stood in pratimā^[1] under a saptacchada^[2] tree that served as an umbrella, motionless as its trunk. Then the Lord went from the guṇasthāna named ‘apramattasaṃyata’^[3] to the eighth guṇasthāna named ‘apūrvakaraṇa.’^[4] Then wandering from interpretation of scripture to text and from text to interpretation he went to the first pure meditation, nānātvaśrutavīcāra.^[5] Then the Lord ascended to the ninth guṇasthāna, named “anivṛttibādara,’^[6] making no distinction in thought-activity. Then, by diminishing the passion greed, he went to the tenth guṇasthāna, named ‘sūkṣmasamparāya.’^[7] Possessing infinite power, able to destroy all the karma of the three worlds, from the destruction of delusion he arrived at the (twelfth) guṇasthāna, ‘kṣīṇamoha.’^[8] At the last moment of the twelfth guṇasthāna the Lord reached the second pure meditation, ‘ekatvaśruta.’^[9] By that meditation the Lord of the World reduced his mind containing the sense-objects of the three worlds, like redlining poison of a snake-bite which had penetrated the whole body like a charm. Just as a fire burns up and goes out when most of the fuel has been taken away and a little left, in the same way his mind became extinct. Then the Jina’s fire of meditation blazing up, the destructive karmas^[10] melted away completely like snow. On the eleventh of the bright half of Pauṣa, when the moon was over Rohiṇī and the Master was engaged in a two days’ fast, his brilliant omniscience arose. The lord of the World saw the sense-objects of the three periods of time and the thoughts present in the three worlds, as if they had come to the hollow of his hand.

As soon as the Master’s omniscience had arisen, the Lord of Saudharma’s lion-throne shook, as if from fear of disrespect to the Master. To find out the reason for the shaking, Maghavan employed clairvoyance, as one who wishes to find out the depth of water in a pond uses a rope. By clairvoyance Vāsava saw “The Master’s omniscience has arisen,” as one sees an object by lamplight. Purandara abandoned his jeweled lion-throne and jeweled slippers. The fear of disrespect is very strong in the noble. Hari took seven or eight steps in the direction of the Arhat, like a pupil who has finished his studies and is admitted within the guru’s jurisdiction.^[11] Bending his left knee a little, touching the ground with his right knee, hands, and head, Adribhid bowed. Rising and stepping back, Balasūdana again adorned the lion-throne, like a lion a high mountain. Puruhūta and the other gods who had been summoned went instantly to the Lord of Jinas with great splendor as well as devotion. All the other Indras knew from the shaking of their thrones that the Master had attained omniscience and went to the Jina’s presence as if in rivalry (in speed).