Part 12: Incident causing Aparājita’s enlightenment

One day he went to a garden and saw a caravan-leader’s son, Anaṅgadeva, very magnificent, like Anaṅga with a body. Noticing him surrounded by friends wearing divine garments, sporting with many beautiful young women, giving money to beggars, being praised by bards, occupied in singing, the king asked his attendants, “Who is he?” They told the king, “He is Anaṅgadeva, very rich, the son of the caravan-leader Samudrapāla.” Saying graciously, “I am fortunate, whose merchants even are so noble and prosperous,” Aparājita went home again.

On the next day, going outside (the city), he saw a corpse moving along, carried by four men, with a drum reverberating dismally, followed by women beating their breasts, their hair disheveled, wailing, fainting at every step.

The king asked his attendants, “Who is this dead man?” and they replied, “This is the same Anaṅgadeva, who died suddenly from cholera.” “Oh! This worldly existence is worthless. Alas! Alas! The creator destroys the confident. Oh! The negligence of living creatures whose minds have the sleep of delusion.”

Thus acquiring great desire for emancipation, Aparājita went home and, troubled, remained several days.

One day the omniscient, whom he had seen before in Kuṇḍapura, came there to help him, knowing from his (omniscient) knowleḍge that he was a suitable person. After listening to dharma from him, Aparājita installed his son by Prītimatī, Padma, on the throne and became a mendicant. At that time his wife, Prītimatī, his brothers, Sūra and Soma, and his minister Vimalabodha, all followed him into mendicancy.