Part 4: The fourteen dreams of Senādevī

As she was sleeping, Senādevī saw fourteen great dreams entering her lotus-mouth during the remainder of the night. A trumpeting elephant, fair as an autumn-cloud; a bull, spotless, like a large rock that had fallen from Sphaṭikaśaila (Kailāsa); a lion with a very yellow mane, with a mass of hair; the sprinkling of Śrī being made by two elephants; a wreath made of five colors, stealing the hues of twilight-clouds; a full moon silvery like a mirror; a sun by which darkness was dispelled; a flagstaff with a banner with a collection of tinkling bells; a golden water-pitcher whose mouth was covered with lotuses; a large pool smiling, as it were, with blooming lotuses; the Ocean of Milk dancing with high waves as hands, as it were; a palace made of jewels, whose counterpart has never been seen; a heap of jewels resembling a collection of gems of the serpents of Pātāla;^[1] a smokeless fire resembling the sun at dawn.

When the Queen awoke, she related these dreams to the King; and the King explained, “Assuredly, you will have a son, who will be honored in the three worlds.” The Indras knew what had happened by the shaking of their thrones, came there, bowed to Senādevī, and explained the meaning of these dreams, “You will have a son who will be the third founder of a congregation in this avasarpiṇī, the master of the world, O Lady.” Delighted at this explanation of the dreams, like a peacock by thunder, the Queen passed the rest of the night awake.

As the earth of the diamond-mine carries the diamond, as the fire-stick carries the fire, so the Queen carried her strong and pure embryo. Then the embryo in the Queen’s womb grew in secret like a golden lotus in the water of the Gaṅgā. Then the Queen’s eyes became especially radiant. For pond-lotuses are especially fine in the autumn. The Queen’s beauty of the body, swelling of the breasts, slowness of gait increased daily from the power of the embryo.

On the eighth day of the white half of Phālguna, she began to carry the embryo for the delight of the world, like the sky bearing a sign of a cloud. After nine months, seven and a half days, on the fourteenth day of the white half of Mārga, when the moon was in conjunction with Mṛgaśiras, she bore with ease a son, free from the afterbirth, blood, etc., marked with a horse, golden, like the east bearing the sun. Then for a moment there was a light in the three worlds that caused destruction of darkness; for a moment there was ease even for hell-inhabitants. The planets went to their high places; all the heavens were serene; the wind blew gently; all the people celebrated. There was a shower of perfumed rain; a drum sounded in the sky; the wind blew away the dust; and the earth expanded.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Serpents are the guardians of treasure. See I, n. 66.