Part 7: Return as Cakravartin

With the complete magnificence of a cakradharin he went to Hastināpura and, extremely delighted, bowed as before to his delighted parents. After hearing their son’s adventures which were like nectar to their ears, his parents expanded like watered trees.

Then Ācārya Suvrata, initiated by Munisuvrata, came there in his wandering and made a stop. King Padmottara went with his retinue, bowed to him, and listened to his preaching, the mother of disgust with worldly existence. The king said to the Ācārya, “Wait here, Master, until I come for initiation after I have installed my son on the throne.” “Do not show negligence,” told by the sūri, the king paid homage to his feet and entered his own town. After summoning the chief men, his ministers, vassals, et cetera, King Padmottara said to Viṣṇukumāra:

“Worldly existence is an ocean of pain and activity of the body increases it, as the desire for something unsuitable on the part of a sick man increases the disease. To me falling into existence, Lord Suvrata has come here by my merit, like a man offering an arm to a blind man who has gone near a well. So today, let Viṣṇukumāra be installed on the throne. I am going to take the vow under Suvrata, certainly.”

Viṣṇu replied, “I have no use for the throne, father. I shall become a mendicant after you. I shall travel by your path.” Then the king summoned Padma and spoke to him urgently, “Child, take the throne, so we may become mendicants.” His hands folded in submission, Padma said: “That is not fitting, father, while my elder brother, Víṣṇukumāra, the same as a father, is living. Viṣṇu, competent in the world, should be installed on the throne, but I shall become his heir-apparent, like a footman.” The king said, “He does not wish the kingdom, though asked to take it, but he wishes to become a mendicant with me.”

Then Padma became silent and was inaugurated as king by King Padmottara at the same time he was inaugurated as cakrin. His departure-ceremony celebrated by Padma, King Padmottara took the yow at Suvrata’s feet, together with Viṣṇukumāra.

Padma had his mother’s chariot with the statue of the Arhat make the circuit of his city, and it was worshipped by all the people like his rule on earth. Suvratasūri with Padmottara and others was in that same city at the time of the chariot-procession. An advancement of the Jaina doctrine, as well as of his own family, was made by Cakrin Padma, distinguished by marvelous conduct. He had lofty shrines, like newly-risen mountains, built by crores in villages, mines, cities, towns approached by land and water, et cetera.

After wandering with his guru and observing the highest vows, Muni Padmottara, who had become omniscient, attained emancipation. Muni Viṣṇukumāra practiced extraordinary penance and acquired many labdhis^[1] by the power of penance. Tall as Meru, going through the air like Garuḍa, changing his form like a god, handsome as Mīnaketu (Kāmadeva)—he was able to assume many appearances, these and others; but he did not. For there is no use of the labdhis by sādhus inopportunely.

One day Ācārya Suvrata, attended by sādhus, settled in Hastināpura to pass the rainy season. When he knew that the Ācārya had come, the minister Namuci wished to take revenge for the former hostility and declared to Mahāpadma:

“Grant me the boon formerly promised, best of kings. Among the noble there is no loss of something promised, like a deposit.” “Ask it,” the king said. He Said, “I wish to make a sacrifice. Grant me your kingdom until it is finished. Remember your promise.” Keeping his promise, the king installed the minister Namuci on the throne and he himself went to the women’s apartments. Namuci left the city for the sacrificial enclosure deceitfully and was installed (as sacrificer), wicked, evil-minded like a crane.^[2] All the subjects came to hold his coronation-festival and all the ascetics came except the Śvetabhikṣus.^[3] Thinking “All the ascetics came to me, but not the Śvetabhikṣus from jealousy,” evil-minded, he made that an excuse in the beginning. He went to Ācārya Suvrata and said tauntingly: “Whoever is king, the ascetics resort to him. Because these groves where penance is performed must be guarded by the king, the king must be approached by those rich in penance. In this way he is made to share a sixth part of the penance.^[4] But you, censuring me, were fixed in one spot, base heretics, unrestrained makers of hostility to king and people. Therefore you must not stay in my kingdom. Go somewhere else. Any one of you who remains here, he, evil-minded, will be killed by me.”

The sūri said, “We did not go to your coronation, because that is not proper for us. We do not censure anything at all.”

Angry, he said again, “Enough of details, Ācārya. Whoever remain here after seven days will be punished by me like robbers.” With these words he went to his own house and the sūri said to the munis, “What are we to do in this case? Speak as you can and as you think.” One sādhu said, “Viṣṇukumāra has practiced penance for six thousand years. He is now on Mandara. He is the elder brother of King Padma. At his command Namuci will become quiet. He is his master, as well as Padma’s. Let some sādhu who possesses the art of flying^[5] go and bring him. The use of magic arts in work for the community is not wrong.”

A sādhu said, “I am able to go there through the air, but not to return. Tell me what I must do in this case.” Assured by his guru, “Viṣṇu surely will bring you back,” he flew up like a garuḍa and went through the air to Padma’s elder brother in a moment. Viṣṇu saw him and reflected: “The muni’s coming in haste indicates some important business of the community. Otherwise, there would be no moving about of sādhus during the rainy season and they would not make such use of the magic arts.” While the chief of munis was so reflecting, the muni approached, paid homage, and explained the reason for his coming. Instantly Viṣṇukumāra took the sage, went through the air to Hastināpura, and paid homage to his guru. Then, surrounded by sādhus, Viṣṇu went to Namuci and was honored by all the kings, et cetera, except Namuci.

Viṣṇu said gently, accompanied with religious discourse: “Let these munis remain here in the city during the rains. They themselves do not stay in one place for a long time, but moving about during the rains is not permitted because of the abundance of insect life. What injury will it do you, wise sir, for mendicant monks like us to live in this very large city, living by begging alms? Sādhus were honored by Bharata, Āditya, Soma, and other kings. If you do not do that, yet permit them to stay, sir.”

The minister, addressed in this way by Viṣṇu, spoke harshly from anger, “Enough of words, ācārya. I do not permit you to stay here.” Viṣṇu, patient though powerful, said again, “Let them live in the garden outside the city.” The man calling himself a minister, impatient, said to the great sage: “I cannot endure even your odor. Enough of requests to stay. There will be no living in the city nor outside the city of the white-clothed who are devoid of good behavior, like robbers. If you value your lives, go quickly. Otherwise, I shall destroy you, like Garuḍa destroying snakes.” Inflamed by this speech, like a fire by an oblation, Viṣṇu said, “Nevertheless, permit us to occupy here the space of three steps.” Then Namuci said, “I give you the space of three steps, but whoever steps outside the three steps will certainly be killed.” “Very well. Give it.” With these words, the muni grew tall, wearing a diadem, earrings, wreath, and carrying a bow, thunderbolt, and knife. Making the Khecaras fall like old leaves, with loud screams, shaking the earth like a lotus-leaf with stampings of his feet, raising the oceans like the wind at the end of the world, making rivers flow backwards, like a dike, overturning the circles of stars like heaps of stones, splitting the best mountains like anthills, he, very powerful, very brilliant, terrifying gods and demons, growing gradually, assuming various forms, became equal to Meru.

Seeing the disturbance of the three worlds, Sahasrākṣa instructed singing goddesses to quiet him. They sang in his ear unceasingly the following, charming with the gāndhāra scale, in accordance with the teachings of the Omniscient: “From anger here men are consumed; they are often confused in regard to their own good. After death they go to hell having endless pain.” The women of the Kinnaras, et cetera, sang these words and danced before Muni Viṣṇu to calm his anger. After throwing Namuci on the ground, the muni, the elder brother of Padma, whose feet are to be praised by the world, took a step which included the ground between the east and west oceans.

When Padma heard the news, he came in haste, trembling at his own carelessness and his minister’s crime. After he had paid homage with great devotion to the great sage, his elder brother, his hands folded in submission, his feet bathed in tears, he said:

“Just today my father Padmottara is in my thoughts, O master, who are victorious, having extraordinary qualities. I have not known that the holy community is being injured by this scoundrel of a minister. No one told me. Yet I am guilty, for this wretch is my servant. It is asserted in moral precepts that masters are affected by the crime of the servant. Likewise I am your servant. You are my ultimate master. You are affected by my crime. Therefore restrain your anger. The three worlds fear for their lives because of the crime of that villain. Noble sir, reassure them (the three worlds) which are bestridden by you, ocean of compassion.”

Thus other kings, gods, asuras and the fourfold community soothed the sage with various speeches. Since he had attained a growth that was past the range of speech, he did not hear them until they all touched his feet with devotion. From the touching of his feet, he saw his brother below in front of him and also the fourfold community, gods, asuras, aud kings. The muni thought:

“This holy community is devoted to compassion; this brother of mine is unhappy; the gods, et cetera are terrified. They are soothing me simultaneously in order to remove my anger. The community is entitled to respect. Padma and the others are entitled to sympathy from me.” With these reflections, the great muni destroyed the increase in size of his body and remained in his natural condition, like an ocean whose high waves have gone. At the request of the community the great muni released Namuci, and Padma at once banished the scoundrel of a minister. From that time because of the ‘three steps’ the muni acquired the purifying name ‘Trivikrama’ in the three worlds. Having performed the work of the community, calmed, having practiced severe penance, having become omniscient, Viṣṇukumāra reached emancipation.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

See I, pp. 75 ff.

[2]:

The crane is a symbol of deceit.

[3]:

I.e., the Jains.

[4]:

It is a Brāhman belief that the king is entitled to the benefit of a sixth part of penance performed by ascetics; or a house-holder, if the ascetic stays in his house. It is the owner of the land who benefits. If the land belongs to a private person, the king does not benefit. The ascetic does not lose any of his merit, but the king, or landowner, acquires an additional sixth. Muni Jayantavijayaji.

[5]:

Vidyā here evidently is vidyācaraṇa. See I, n. 114.