Part 1: Celaṇā’s one-pillared house

Then Śreṇika played with Celaṇā in water-sports, et cetera, as if they were sewed together with the thread of affection. Every day in secret Śreṇika dressed Queen Celaṇā’s mass of hair, making combs out of his own hands. He himself, like a hair-dresser, bound her braid with faultless wreaths of flowers just twined by his own hands. He himself, like a painter, painted various decorations on her cheeks with powdered musk. In sitting, lying down, walking, eating, or anything else, the king did not leave her side, just as if he were the harem-guard himself.

One day the cool season began, terrifying with a wind from the north carrying frost, consuming the gardens. Rich people with fìre-pots close at hand, anointed with saffron,^[1] staying inside the house, passed the season. Poor boys, their hands like ivory, trembling as if from fear, stood in the house-doors, their teeth chattering. At night young men did not take away their lotus-hands, which resembled the staff of a lute with a gourd, from their wives’ breasts which were naturally warm.

At that time Śrī Jṭāta’s son stopped there, endowed with all the supernatural qualities, attended by gods and asuras. One day in the afternoon the king went with Queen Cellaṇā to pay homage to Vīra occupying a samavasaraṇa. After they had paid homage to the holy Arhat, the husband and wife returned and saw an ascetic standing in statuesque posture on the edge of water. The husband and wife got out of their carriage at once and paid homage to the muni, who was enduring the trial of cold without an upper garment. After the king with his wife had paid homage devotedly to the ascetic, he went to his palace, spreading the auspicious news. After he had performed the rites suitable for evening, the king went to his chamber darkened by the smoke of incense of burned aloes and camphor.

At night Śreṇika slept with his hand on her breast, his arm-creeper made into a pillow by Queen Celaṇā. The king went to sleep, closely embraced by her with her breasts contracted, and the queen went to sleep. In the depth of sleep, Cellaṇā’s blossom-hand got outside the cover. Sleep destroys embraces. Her hand was touched by the unbearable cold that was like a scorpion’s sting and Celaṇā woke up from the pain. She made the sound ‘sīt’ from the pain of the cold and put her lotus-hand like her own heart on the king’s heart under the cover.

At that time she remembered the sage standing in statuesque posture without an upper garment and she said, “Alas! How will he fare in such cold?” She went to sleep again in the same way, pure in heart. Generally sleep is submissive, like a slave, to those of great mind.

The king, sleeping lightly, was awakened by her ‘sīt’ and, hearing what she said, thought to himself: “Surely another lover, who wishes dalliance, is in her mind for whom she grieves from the supposition of pain from the cold.” Suffering from jealousy in this way, he passed the night awake. A lover is never free from jealousy while he lives.

At dawn Śreṇika ordered Celaṇā to go to the harem. He, cruel in commands, summoned Abhaya and said to him: “It is known that the harem, ha! has been defiled by evil conduct. Burn it all. Do not be uncooperative from folly toward the mothers.” After giving this order to Abhaya, the king, shining with great splendor, went to pay homage to Vīra Svāmin, the venerable Arhat.

Abhaya, afraid of his father, cautious by nature, skilled in counsel, wise, reflected in his mind: “All my mothers are excellent wives by nature. I have been made their guard. Such is the father’s command. That has been mentioned by my honored father which should not be mentioned. What shall I do? At first the lord’s anger is unbearable like a river-flood. Nevertheless, lapse of time, after producing something different, will have effect. Perhaps from lapse of time the lord’s anger will die.”

Then Abhaya set fire to old elephant-stables that were near the harem and had it announced, “The harem has burned down.”

Now at a suitable time, Śreṇika asked the Supreme Lord, “Lord, does Celaṇā have one husband or more?”

The Master replied: “Your lawful wife, Celaṇā, is a model wife. Do not suspect her, who possesses the ornament of good conduct, of being otherwise.”

When Śreṇika heard this, he felt remorse and, after bowing to the Lord, hurried at once to the city. The king asked Abhaya who was coming from setting the fire as told, “Did you carry out my order?” Abhaya bowed with an aṭjali and said from fear, “The master’s order is authority for anyone else, how much more for me?” The king said: “Villain, why are you still alive after burning your own mothers? Why did you not fall into the fire?”

Abhaya replied: “Majesty, the death of a moth is not suitable for me who have heard the Arhat’s teaching. At a suitable time I shall take the vow. If then there had been such an order to me, lord, doubtless then I would have experienced a death like a moth.”

Saying, “Why did you commit such a crime even at my order?” the king was seized by a fainting attack as if he had drunk poison. Abhaya himself sprinkled the king with cool water and when he had recovered, said:

“Lord, the harem is safe. You did this disfavor to my mothers from a reverse of fortune. I committed the sin of suppressing your order. I burned down old elephant stables near the harem, father. I do not carry out even your order without reflection.”

The king said: “You are my son. You are intelligent, Abhaya, by whom the approaching guilt was sent far away.” The king favored Abhaya by the gift of a boon and went home, very eager for the sight of Queen Celaṇā. Then the king sported daily with Queen Celaṇā, as if with ever new affection, like Vṛṣākapi (Viṣṇu) with Śrīdevī.

One day the king thought: “Celaṇā is very dear to me. What favor can I do her that distinguishes her from the other queens? I shall have a one-pillared palace made for her. Placed in it, she can play like a Khecarī in a heavenly palace.” After deciding on this plan, Śreṇika instructed Abhaya: “Have a one-pillared palace made for Celaṇā.” Abhaya gave orders to a carpenter for bringing wood suitable for the pillar and the carpenter went to a forest for the timber. Looking at the trees in the forest one by one, the carpenter saw one tree marked with all the favorable marks. He thought:

“Surely this tree with dense shade, lofty, blossoming, bearing fruit, with a large crown and with a large trunk is no ordinary one. Such an abode as it is, surely is not without a divinity. On the contrary, this king of trees by its very beauty evidently has a divinity. I shall worship its presiding divinity with penance, so there will be no calamity to me and my master because I cut it down.”

Then the carpenter, observing a fast, put perfume, incense, wreaths, and other objects on the great tree with devotion. At that time the Vyantara, whose home was the tree, with the view of accomplishing his purpose and protecting his own home, said to Abhayakumāra:

“My home-tree must not be cut down. Stop the carpenter. I myself, sir, will build a one-pillared palace. I will make a garden, like Nandana, attached to it, adorned by all the seasons, filled with all kinds of vegetation.”

Abhaya, when the Vyantara said this, summoned the carpenter from the forest immediately and said, “Our purpose is accomplished.” The Vyantara built the palace just as promised. Demi-gods, bound by a promise, are superior to servants. Abhaya showed the king the one-pillared palace adorned with a perennial garden and the king, delighted, said: “A perennial garden has come into being for me desiring only a palace. Indeed, that is the unexpected occurence of sugar in a drink of milk that has been commenced.”

The King of Magadha sent Celaṇā to that place and she adorned it highly like Śrī a lotus-pond. Queen Celaṇā worshipped the omniscient with flowers originating in that perennial garden which she herself gathered and arranged. With flowers arranged as soon as she had gathered them, Celaṇā herself, like a slave, filled her husband’s abundant hair. So, thinking of the business of the holy Dispassionate One and of her husband, she made the flowers of that garden bear the fruit of religion and love. Celaṇā, like the garden divinity incarnate, made Śreṇika sport in that garden which always had flowers and always had fruit.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Saffron is considered heating.