Part 4: Birth of Ananta and his birth-rites

Now in the heaven Prāṇata the soul of Padmaratha, immersed in bliss, passed its life of maximum duration. On the seventh day of the dark half of Śrāvaṇa, the moon being in Revatī, it fell and descended into the womb of Queen Suyaśas. Comfortably asleep, during the last of the night, the Queen saw the fourteen great dreams, elephant, et cetera, which indicate an Arhat’s birth. On the thirteenth day of the dark half of Rādha in the constellation Pauṣṇa, Lady Suyaśas bore a son, marked with a hawk, gold color. Subsequently the fifty-six Dikkumārīs came at once from the Ṛucakas and performed the Arhat’s birth-rites. The Cord of Saudharma-heaven came there, bowed, took the Lord and went to the peak of Mt. Meru through the air. Vāsava sat down on the lion-throne on the rock Atipāṇḍukambalā, with the Lord held on his lap.

Then the sixty-three Indras, beginning with Acyuta, bathed the Lord in turn with water brought from the tīrthas. Śakra placed the Lord, who was very strong, on Īśāna’s lap, as if from very great fatigue from carrying his weight. Vāsava bathed the Supreme Lord with water rising from the horns of four large bulls created from crystal.

After rubbing the Lord with a cloth of devadūṣya, anointing him, worshipping him, waving the light, the Indra of Saudharma praised him:

Stuti:

“Anointing with gośīrṣa-sandal is not hard to attain by those covered with dust from falling on the ground before you. They, by whom a single flower is placed on your head with devotion, always go with their heads covered with umbrellas.^[1] The ones who put ointment on your body even one time doubtless become wearers of garments of devadūṣya. The creeper-like arms of goddesses flutter about the necks of the ones who put wreaths of flowers on your neck even once. Whoever describe a single time your spotless virtues, they are heralded in song by goddesses as superior to the people. Whoever dance before you with devotion with skill in beautiful steps, for them a seat on the shoulder of the elephant Airāvaṇa is not hard to obtain. Whoever meditate on you, the supreme spirit, O god, day and night, having become like you, always reach a state of being meditated on by the people. By your favor may I always have the prerogative of making the bath, anointing, decoration, ornaments, et cetera, for you.”

After this hymn of praise, Śakra took the Jina, went and deposited him at the side of Queen Suyaśas according to custom. Śakra and the other Indras held an eight-day festival to the images of the eternal Arhats in Nandīśvara and went again to their own abodes.

Footnotes and references:

[back to top]

[1]:

A sign of distinction.