Trishasti Shalaka Purusa Caritra Part 4

SR No.: 001004
Original Sutra Author: Hemchandracharya
Author: Helen M Johnson
Publisher: Oriental Research Institute Vadodra
Publication Year: 1954
Total Pages: 449
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Mythology, & Story
File Size: 9 MB

Page 178

RĀVAŅA'S EXPEDITION OF CONQUEST 143 Story of origin of animal sacrifices (383-502)
“There is a city, Śaktimati, famous throughout the world. It is adorned by the river Saktimati like a pleasurecompanion. When many kings had come and gone since Munisuvrata of good vows, Abhicandra, best of kings, was king in this city. Abhicandra had a son, Vasu by name, very intelligent, known for speaking the truth. Under the guru Kșīrakadamba, his son Parvataka, Prince Vasu, and I—the three of us studied. One night when we were asleep on the top of the house from fatigue from study, two flying ascetics were talking to each other, as they went through the air. Kşīrakadambaka heard, 'One of these will go to heaven, but the other two will go to hell.'
Hearing this, Kșīrakadamba was crushed and thought : 'Oh! oh! With me as a teacher, two of my pupils will go to hell. Which one of these will go to heaven and which to hell?' Wishing to know this, the teacher summoned the three of us at the same time. The guru gave each one of us a dough-cock-and said, 'Kill these where no one sees.' Vasu and Parvataka went to deserted places and destroyed the dough-cocks as well as a state of existence beneficial to themselves. I went to a very distant place outside the city, stopped in a spot without any people, looked in all directions, and thought: 'Though the order was given by the guru, "Son, you must kill this cock where no one sees," he (the cock) sees, I see, and the Khecaras see, the Lokapālas see, and the jñānins 116 see. There is no place where no one sees. “The cock certainly must not be killed,” is the meaning of the guru's speech. The reverend guru, compassionate, always averse to injury, surely gave this command to test our intelligence.'
With these reflections I returned without killing the cock and explained to the guru the reason for not killing the cock. The guru embraced me with pride, thinking,
116 395. This would include persons with the 3 higher kinds of knowledge. See I, pp. 201 ff.
IO