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Remarks on the Texts
1. The Muni-Suvrata Stavana As its name indicates, this hymn is addressed to MuniSuyrata, the 20th of the 24 Tīrthankaras who appeared in this Bharataksetra of Jambū-dvīpa during the previous two ‘ārās' of the present Avasarpiņi.
After announcing, in st. 1, his intention to sing the praise of Munisuvrata, and expressing, in st. 2, his incompetence to do justice to this task, the poet gives, in st. 3-7, the data of the last mine existences, in which he was incarnated respectively as :
(1) King Sivaketu of Supratistha-nagara.
(2) A god in 'Saudharma' (the southern half of the lowest heaven ).
(3) Kuberadatta of Varapura. (4) A god in the third heaven. (5) King Vajrakundala of Paurāņa-nagara. (6) A god in the fifth heaven. (7) King Srīvarma of Campā.
(8) A god in 'Aparājita' ( one of the five 'vimānas' of 'Anuttara', the highest heaven, the inhabitants of which are predestined to attain final salvation after, at the most, two more rebirths).
(9) Muni Suvrata, son of King Sumitra of Rāja-grha, of the Harivañía dynasty, and Queen Padmā, and later himself King of Magadha, which position he resigned to become a homeless ascetic, attain omniscience, and after a long and beneficent career as a Tīrtharkara, enter Mokşa.
While dwelling on this last existence, the poet alludes to some of the stereotyped features common to all Tīrtharkaras, the birth festival celebrated by the gods, and the supernatural know
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