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148
A CRITICAL STUDY OF PAUMACARIYAM
Sagara (the cousin brother of Ajitasvāmin and the second Cakravartin) had sixty-four thousand wives and sixty thousand sons. Once his sons went to the Aştāpada mountain on a pilgrimage and on being advised by the ministers, they dug a ditch around the mountain and got it filled up with the waters of the Ganges for the protection of the shrines situated on the mountain. At this the lord of the Nāgas bit all of them except Bhima and Bhagiratha. When their brothers were dead, Bhima and Bhagiratha returned to Saketapuri. The ministers prevented them from reporting the news to Sagara and themselves first explained to Sagara the ephemeral nature of the world and then broke the sad news. At this Sagara bewailed and after having enthroned Bhagiratha, the son of Jahnavi, he renounced the world and in due course attained emancipation.
The Uttarādhyayana (18.35), and the Tiloyapannatti (4. 515) refer to Sagara as the second Cakravartin.
The PCR (5. 247-283) mentions 96000 wives of Sagara. There is no reference to the advice of the ministers to dig the ditch. The HVPJ (13. 27-30) merely refers to the burning of the sons of Sagara. The PCS (5. 10-14) states that Bhagiratha took intiative in digging the moat.
The Vasudevahindi (I. 300-305) and the commentary of Devendragani on the Uttaradhyayana mention that at the advice of Jahnū, the moat was dug. At that time the Nāgarāja was pacified. Then the Ganges was diverted to the moat. This caused hostility with the Nāgarāja ferocious sight burnt the sons of Sagara to ashes. A Brāh min is said to have tried to save Sagara from being afflicted with grief. He went to Sagara with the corpse of his son and requested him to cure his deceased son. Sagara called for a physician who demanded the ash from such a house where no one had died so far. At this demand Sagara realised the law of Karma. Instantly the news of the death of his sons was disclosed to him. Further it is stated that the waters of the Ganges over-flew the ditch and caused peril to the people. Bhagiratha, the grandson of Sagara then diverted the Ganges towards the eastern ocean. Thus the river was first called as Jahnavi and afterwards as Bhagirathi. The TSP (II p. 33f) agrees with this account except that the Brahmin went to Sagara with a corpse and asked him to bring, as promised by a deity, the fire from a house where no one had died so far so that the dead could be revitalised.
The Uttara purāņa (ch. 48) and the MP (39) narrate that Mahabala and Manicūla (as celestial beings) had decided mutually to enlighten one another whoever was born first in the mortal world. Mahabala was born as Sagara. Manicūla then twice tried to enlighten
