Part 12: Conquest of Vidyādharas by Bharata

The Cakrin arrived at Mt. Vaitāḍhya, following the cakra-jewel like a noble elephant a horseman, with his horses prancing in the air as if not finding room on the ground between the great rivers, Gaṅgā and Sindhu; with rutting elephants raining a stream of ichor, as if wishing to water the earth fatigued by the burden of the soldiers; with chariots of the highest speed making the earth adorned with hair-partings, as it were, by the marks of the large wheel-rims; with a crore of foot-soldiers advancing on the earth with peerless strength, as if showing that it was made only of men. The King established his camp on the mountain’s north plateau where the first Jina was praised in the harmonious songs of the Śabarīs. Then the King sent an arrow, seeker of tribute, to the Vidyādhara lords, Nami and Vinami. When they saw the arrow, the two chief Vidyādhara lords, possessed by a fit of anger, took counsel together. “Now Bharata, indeed, the first Cakravartin, has arisen here in Bharatavarṣa in the continent Jambūdvīpa. After writing his name himself on Mt. Ṛṣabhakūṭa as if on the moon, turning back, he has come here. This King, proud of the strength of his arm, has made his abode at the side of Mt. Vaitāḍhya, like a rider at the side of an elephant. So, being a conqueror he wishes to take tribute from us also, I think. Therefore, he threw this terrible arrow at us.”

After talking this way to each other, they rose and, expecting battle, set out, concealing the mountain-plateau with their forces. The Vidyādhara armies came there at their command, like armies of the gods at the command of the Lords of Saudharma and Īśāna. Mt. Vaitāḍhya laughed as it were, thundered as it were, burst on all sides as it were, with their loud cries of “Kila! Kila!” The servants of the Vidyādhara lords made resound drums of gold like caves of Vaitāḍhya. The lords of the villages and cities of the districts of the north and south, rows, wearing various jeweled ornaments like sons of the ocean, with unstumbling gait in the sky like Garuḍas, set out with Nami and Vinami like other forms of them. Some, who could not be distinguished from Vaimānika gods, went by aerial cars which lighted up the heavens by the splendor of various jewels. Others set out with roaring, rutting elephants raining showers of mist, resembling Puṣkarāvartaka-clouds. Some flew in chariots made of gold and jewels as if cut from the heavenly bodies, the moon, sun, etc. Some set out with horses like the Vāyukumāras in speed, prancing beautifully in the sky, possessing supernatural speed. Some, their hands full of a multitude of weapons, wearing diamond armor, leaping like monkeys, went as infantry. Surrounded by the forces of the Vidyādharas, the two descended from Vaitāḍhya and, wishing to fight, armed, they approached the Lord of Bharata. Then Bharata saw the Vidyādhara army making the sky appear to have many suns from their jeweled cars, to have streaks of lightning from their flaming weapons, to have thunder from the loud noise of drums. Saying “O seeker of tribute, you will receive punishment from us,” arrogant because of their magic arts, they summoned the King to battle. Then he fought with them and their armies, separately and together, in numerous battles, since the Śrīs of victory are won by battles.

After twelve years of fighting, the Vidyādhara lords were conquered and, bowing before the Lord of Bharata with folded hands, said, “What light is brighter than the sun? Who is swifter than the wind? What happiness is superior to mokṣa? And who is more powerful than you? You have been seen today, O son of Ṛṣabha, like the Blessed Ṛṣabha in person. From ignorance we fought with you. Pardon us, O our hereditary lord. Formerly we were Ṛṣabha Svāmin’s servants, but now we are yours. There is no disgrace in serving the son of the master like the master. We will remain here at your command, like governors of forts, on the two sides of Vaitāḍhya in the north and south halves of Bharata.” At the end of the speech to this effect, King Vinami bowed with folded hands like a man wishing to ask for something, though he wished to give.

Then he gave his own daughter, named Subhadrā, a woman-jewel who was like Śrī made permanent, with a form perfectly symmetrical as if made by using a measure; made from a mass of brilliance of the jewels of the three worlds, as it were; highly adorned by youth with beautiful hair and nails, as if by attendants always present knowing their duties; curing all diseases, very powerful like a divine herb; with a touch cool or hot at will like divine water; dark in three places,^[1] fair in three, red in three, high in three, deep in three, broad in three, long in three, slender in three; surpassing the tails of peacocks with her mass of hair, superior to the moon of the eighth day with her forehead, possessing eyes that were pleasure-pools of Rati and Prīti, and a nose like a long stream of water from the ocean of loveliness of her forehead; graced with cheeks that were like new golden mirrors, and with ears, like swings, touching the shoulders; with lips that resembled twin bimbas and teeth surpassing in beauty a row of small diamonds; her neck, as well as her waist, marked with three lines, and her arms straight as a lotus-stalk and soft as a lotus-fibre; possessing breasts like the festival pitchers of Kāma, and a waist slender as if the thickness had been presented to the breasts; bearing a navel-circle like the whirlpool of a river, and a row of hair like a row of dūrvā-grass on the bank of the pool of the navel; adorned with broad hips like the couch of Manobhū, and with thighs like the golden pillars of a swing; surpassing completely (in slenderness) the legs of a deer by her legs, and excelling lotuses by her feet as well as her hands; like a creeper with shoots with the petal-fingers of her hands and feet; like the slope of Ratnācala with the shining jewels of nails; adorned with garments, flowing, white, soft, like a river with waves made by a gentle wind stirring; ornamenting ornaments, though of gold and jewels, by her charming limbs having waves of bright luster; attended by a woman, like a shadow, holding an umbrella at her back, and resembling a lotus-pond with a pair of haṃsas with two chauris moving together; surrounded on all sides by thousands of women-friends, like Śrī by Apsarases, like Jāhnavī by rivers. Nāmi also gave the King jewels of great value. For when the Master has come to the house, what is not to be given by the noble? Then dismissed by the King, they installed their sons in their kingdoms and, disgusted with existence, took the vow at the feet of Lord Ṛṣabha.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

The 32 lakṣaṇas of men are enumerated in the KSK. 1.9, p. 21; but I have found no category of strīlakṣanṇs that agrees with these mentioned. The Sāmudrikaśāstra, pp. 12 ff. discusses 16 strīlakṣaṇas, but from a different point of view.