Part 6: Mahāvīra and Śūlapāṇi

The villagers did just as he said, very carefully. The village appointed a priest, Indraśarman by name, of Śūlapāṇi, having prepared much money for him. From that time on the village was called Asthika by the people because of the heap of bones here, though its name was Vardhamāna. If any tired travelers stay in this temple at night, Śūlapāṇi kills them during the same night, like Kṛtānta. The people and his priest, Indraśarman, stay here during the day and go to their own homes in the evening. So it is not suitable for you to stay here.”

After telling this, each one offered the Master a house. The Master did not accept but asked for the Yakṣa’s temple. Permitted by the villagers, knowing that the Vyantara was worthy of enlightenment, the Lord stood in statuesque posture in a corner of his temple. In the evening, when he had finished the time of incense, the Vyantara’s priest, Indraśarman, dismissed all the travelers and said to the Blessed One: “Devārya, do you also leave this temple. For this cruel Vyantara will be the death of you in the night.” The Master remained silent and the Vyantara thought: “Oh! Some one who wishes to die has come to my temple. Even though warned by the village and my priest time and again, this arrogant man has taken up his abode here. I shall take away his arrogance.” Then, when the priest had gone and the sun had set and the Lord was standing in kāyotsarga, the Vyantara gave a loud burst of laughter. By the very cruel, spreading noise of the outburst of laughter he burst the sky-vessel and broke the star circle, as it were. The people of the village heard the sound and said to each other, “Now the poor devārya^[1] is being killed by the Vyantara.” Then the mendicant, Utpala by name, the head-monk of Pārśva’s congregation, learned in the science of the eightfold mahānimitta,^[2] heard the story of the devārya from the people and felt uncertainty in his heart. He thought anxiously, “May it not be the last Tīrthaṅkara.”

When the Lord was not disturbed by the noise of the burst of laughter, the Vyantara created the terrifying form of an elephant. The elephant-form being scorned by the Master, he made the figure of a piśāca tall as the measuring-rod of heaven and earth. The Lord being undisturbed by him also, he, evil-souled, created the fearful form of a serpent which resembled Yama’s noose. Blind with arrogance, the serpent coiled tightly around the Lord and, possessing an infallible jet of poison, bit him severly with its fangs. When the serpent had proved useless, the demon-chief made seven wounds on the Lord's head, eye, ear, nose, tooth, back and nail. One wound alone was sufficient to kill an ordinary man; but the Master endured the seven at the same time. After he had made these successive attacks, the Vyantara, depressed, bowed to the Lord with his hands at his forehead, declared,

“Lord, pardon the very great crimes that I, evil-souled and ignorant of your power, committed against you, Ocean of Compassion.”

At that time the god Siddhārtha, his mind absorbed in his own work, remembered Śakra’s orders in regard to attendance on the Master. He came and said haughtily:

“Śūlapāṇi, basest of gods, seeker of the unsought (death), what is this you have done, sir? Do you not know the blessed Tīrthakara, King Siddhārtha’s son, entitled to be worshipped by three worlds, evil-souled one? If Śakra, devoted to the Master, knew your conduct today, you would be reduced to powder by the edge of his thunderbolt.”

Śūlapāṇi, filled with terror and remorse, again asked the Lord’s pardon. There was no other expedient at that time. When he had become calm, Siddhārtha said to him, compassionately:

“Alas! You are ignorant of truth. Hear the truth just as it is: ‘Discernment that the Tīrthaṅkara is god; discernment that sādhus are gurus; discernment that dharma is the dharma taught by the Jina.’^[3] Make this your own. Henceforth, do not cause pain to living creatures like yourself, sir! You should repent privately and you should repent before your guru all your past evil deeds.^[4] A creature attains a painful fruition for a crore of crores times of a violent act committed even once, alas!”

When Śūlapāṇi had heard this, remembering the destruction of many creatures that he had caused, he blamed himself again and again, penetrated by remorse. Possessing right-belief, afraid of existence, after worshipping the Lord’s feet, he began a concert, water for washing away the impurity of sin. The villagers heard the sound of his song and thought, “I think the god now amuses himself, after destroying the devārya.”

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

A respectful title of a sādhu: ‘revered sādhu.’

[2]:

The science of omens. For the 8 divisions see II, n. 346.

[3]:

See Yog. 2.2. and com. p. 57a.

[4]:

I translate √nind and √garh from Uttar. 29.6-7; SBE 45, pp. 158 and 163.