Book Title: Ancient Jaina Hymns
Author(s): Charlotte Krause
Publisher: SCIndia Oriental Institute Ujain

Previous | Next

Page 23
________________ INTRODUCTION who, while practising the five-fire-penance ancesco very nearly burnt a snake, which was hidden in. one of the logs. By chance, Pārsva, then Prince of Benares, appeared, and, aware of the plight of the snake by his supernatural knowledge, rescued. the latter. Katha resented the interference, and his ageold hatred was re-kindled. This hatred followed him into his next existence as the Asura Meghamālin, who. again tried to worry Pārsva. Pārsva had, in the meantime, become an ascetic and was wandering about in the wilderness. Meghamālin caused him to be attacked by ferocious beasts, nearly suffocated by duststorins, and drenched by cloud-bursts, but did not succeed in disturbing the concentration of the Lord. In the end, the snake, whom the Lord had saved, and who had become re-incarnated as Dharana, King of the serpent-demons, appeared with his consort Padmăvati, and both protected the Lord, forming baldachins over him with their hoods. Reproached and enlightened by Dharana, Meghamālin repented, asked the Lord's pardon, and, having attained spiritual enlightenment, sound the path to salvation'. Dharaña, or Dharanendra, however, kept serving the Lord Pārsva, and is still worshipped as his divine attendant and devotee, along with his spouse. (12) Names of the male and female deities believed to be in attendance, each couple on one of the Tīrthaikaras or his places of Worship, as Dharanendra and Padmāvatī, inentioned just now, in Pārsva's case. Both are referred to in the Sankhesvara-Pārsvanāthastavana published below (st. 9 and 10). These divine (1) Cp. M. Bloomfield, The Life and Stories of the Jaina Saviour Părçvanatha, Baltimore, 1919, Introduction, and the original works mentioned therein. 11

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185