________________
tod
Holy Abu
and a lower one; the upper refers to the story of Ashvāvabodha (conversion of a horse) while the lower depicts the origin of the Samali-vihāra-tirtha (Shakunikā-vihāratirtha).1
Shri Munisuvrata Svami and installed in front of the Lord, a statue of himself as the horse-devotee. From this time onwards, the site and the shrine came to be worshipped as a place of pilgrimage, and became well-known as the AshvavabodhaTirtha. Compare:
एकस्यापि तुरङ्गमस्य कमपि ज्ञात्वोपकारं सुर
श्रेणिभिः सह षष्टियोजनमितामाक्राम्य यः काश्यपीम् ।
श्रारामे समवासरद् भृगुपुरस्यैशान दिङ्मण्डने
स श्रीमान्मयि सुव्रतः प्रकुरुतां कारुण्यसान्द्रे दृशौ ॥ २ ॥ Syadvāda ratnākara, p. I. Also, see, Trishaṣhṭishalākāpuruṣhacharita, parva 6, sarga 2, and Vividha-Tirtha-Kalpa of Jinaprabhasūri (Singhi series), pp. 20ff.
1 There was once a king named Chandragupta ruling from the city of Shripura in the country called Ratnashaya in the Simhaladvipa. His queen was Chandralekha from whom he had seven sons. By the grace of goddess Naradatta, they obtained a daughter Sudarshanā, extremely beautiful in appearance and of great merit, who became skilled in all sciences and arts. Once upon a time, while the princess, now grown up and young, was sitting with her father in the Royal court, a merchant from the port of Broach came in and presented to the king a dishful of priceless gems. Some bitter smell carried by the wind made the merchant sneeze suddenly, at which, to avoid ill-omen, he muttered the Jaina formula of obeissance to Arhata (Om namo Arihantänam). On hearing the mantra, Sudarshana fell into a swoon and the courtiers, annoyed at the conduct of the merchant, gave him a good thrashing, thinking that he was responsible for this state of the princess. Physicians were. called in and after some time Sudarshana regained conscious
