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Ancient Jaina Hymns
335
Tīrtharkara belongs to a royal dynasty, and some are ruling princes or emperors themselves, before renouncing the world. His imminent birth is announced to his mother by a chain of stereotyped auspicious dreams. His five 'Kalyāṇakas' are celebrated by the gods with divine pomp. From his very conception, he is equipped with supernatural knowledge, and from early childhood possesses extra-ordinary physical strength. When he prepares to renounce the world, he distributes, for a year, valuables of all kinds, which are continuously replenished by devoted genii. Then, seated in his royal palanquin, he moves into the wilderness, with a huge retinue of mortals and immortals, haits under some tall tree, and removes, along with his royal robes and ornaments, his hair in five handfuls. Leaving his followers behind, he wanders about from place to place, a homeless ascetic, practises severe penance, and patiently suffers hardships and persecutions, till he obtains omniscience. Only then, his activity as a Tīrthankara begins, in which he preserves till his karman is consumed. Wherever he goes, gods and genii produce miraculous phenomena to his glorification.
Generally, 34 miraculous phenomena38 of this kind are described in Jaina texts under the name of 'the 34 atiśayas', which are also referred to in some of our hymns. They are as follows: (a) 4 innate atisayas : (i) His body is of exquisite beauty, always clean, fragrant,
and free from perspiration. (ii) His breath has the fragrance of lotuses. (iii) His flesh and blood are the colour of milk and free from
odour. (iv) The actions of eating and of evacuating are impercepti
ble to the human eye (or : do not take place according to
Digambara doctrine ). (b ) 11 atiśayas produced by exhaustion of 'ghāti-karman': (i) One kotākoți to gods, men and animals find place within
the space of one mile around him, to listen to his words.
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