Agam 21 Upang 10 Pushpika Sutra English Translation

Author(s): Dipratnasagar, Deepratnasagar
Publisher: Deepratnasagar

Page 17

Pushpika-Upang-10- Chapter-4
Bahuputrika suffered for three births due to her intense desire of bearing a child.
In her birth as Subhadra Sarthavahi (wife of a caravan chief) she was sterile. Her desire for having a child increased when she saw other women with children. Even after getting initiated as an ascetic, her fondness for children inspired her to indulge in antiascetic activities including fondling children, giving them a bath, and enjoying various games and other pastimes with them. She died without a critical review and atonement of these faults and reincarnated as a goddess to become famous as Bahuputrika Devi. In that birth also she had to create numerous children with her divine powers for the entertainment of Indra, the king of gods. From there she will reincarnate as Soma Brahmani. Not rid of the bondage of intense craving from the past birth, she would give birth to twins every year. Finally she will be the mother of thirty two children in sixteen years. Disturbed by the hardship of taking care and bringing up so many small kids she will get fed up and think-"It would have been better had I been sterile. Having many children makes me sad."
Thus in some past birth she was sad because of the unfulfilled desire of having children but in the birth under discussion she became sad because of more children. Thorns of intense craving tormented her for three births.
The lesson of this chapter is that intense desire for means of mundane pleasures and comforts always leads to pain and sorrow. Also that as long as a person does not resort to critical review and atonement for the sins committed, he is not a true aspirant of the spiritual path irrespective of his following Shravak vrat (the code for laity) or the Sadhu vrat (ascetic-code). The transgressor of codes fails to attain a good birth. Therefore, one should try to do critical review and atonement for all his faults and endeavour to be a true aspirant free of the thorns of sinful deeds.
[8] Meaning- After listening to third chapter, JambuSwami asked SudharmaSwami"Bhante! When this is the text and meaning of the third chapter of Pushpika, as given by Shraman Bhagavan Mahavir, what is the text and meaning of fourth chapter of Pushpika?"
Arya Sudharma said "Long lived Jambu ! It is as follows
During that period of time, there was a city called Rajagriha where there was a chaitya called Gunasheelak. The ruler of the city was King Shrenik. Once Swami (Shraman Bhagavan Mahavir) arrived. People came to attend religious discourse.
During that period of time Bahuputrika Devi was sitting on a throne named Bahuputrik in Sudharma Sabha (divine assembly of the Bahuputrik Vimaan (celestial vehicle) along with four thousand vehicles based goddesses and four thousand Mahattarika goddesses (teacher goddesses who taught ethics and morality). Like Suryabh god they were enjoying a variety of divine pleasures. Then with the help of her all pervading Avadhi Jnana she observed this whole Jambu continent. She saw Shraman Bhagavan Mahavir sitting in his Samavasaran (divine assembly of a Tirthankar) and got up from her throne. She (took seven-eight steps forward) paid homage, returned to her throne and sat facing east.(detailed description is same as SuryabhDev See- Rayapaseniya)
She then, like Suryabh Dev, instructed her abhiyogik devs (attendant gods) to sound the melodious bell. They sounded the melodious bell to inform all gods and goddesses to come to pay homage to Bhagavan. After that she again instructed the
Aagam -21 - Pushpika
Compiled by - Deepratnasagar
[16]