Jain Journal 1971 04

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 56

APRIL, 1971
161
knowledge and taking a sword and a shield in her hands, she flew up in the sky... and traversing (the air) by the excellent gait of the gods, she went to them and getting furious addressed them thus with harsh, severe, and scathing words: “O you sons of Makandi, if you agree to) enjoy the various sensual pleasures with me, then alone you will remain alive. If you, however, do not (agree) then I shall cut off, with this sowrd of mine ... your heads and throw them in a corner.” ... Then those sons of Makandi hearing these words of that Ratnadvipadevata were frightened ... and spoke to her thus: “Whatever the Beloved of the gods is pleased to order us, we shall carry it out, and obey.” Then that Ratnadvipadevata took hold of those sons of Makandi and went to her palace; There she removed all the gross atomic particles from their bodies infused the finer particles and then went on enjoying all sorts of pleasures with them; and every morning she used to offer them nectar (like) fruits.
Then that Ratnadvipadevata was ordered by Susthita, the Lord of the Salt Sea, at the instance of a message from Sakra to move about twenty-one times the saltry main and to remove, twentyone times, whatever grass or leaves, or sticks, or rubbish, or filth, or impurity, or anything stinking or unclean there might be, and to throw these away in a corner. Then that Ratnadvipadevata said to the sons of Makandi as follows : “O Beloved of the gods, I have been ordered by Susthita, the Lord of the Salt Sea to visit the saltry main twentyone times.... So while I am, O Beloved of the gods, busy there on the Salt Sea, you just stay on here in this very palace happily and comfortably. If you feel, in the meanwhile, dejected, lonely or scared, then you betake yourselves to the eastern grove. There, the (following) two seasons are always prevalent, viz., the Pravrta and the Varsa. The Pravrta season resembles a mighty elephant, with white tusks in the form of the (white) Kundala and the Silindhra flowers, with its plump trunk in the form of the flowers of the excellent Nikura, and with the sweet-smelling ichor in the form of the fragrant oozings from the Kutaja, Arjuna, and the Nipa trees. And the Varsa season resembles a mountain, with diverse jewels in the form of the red Indragopa insects, with the murmur of the rivulets in the form of the noise produced by the frogs, and with the mountain peaks in the form of the tree-tops crowded with peacocks. There, O Beloved of the gods, you enjoy yourselves happily and comfortably in lakes and tanks, as well as in the bowers of Ali and Mali creepers and in the flower-arbours. If you, however, feel depressed, dejected and forlorn even there, then you might go to the northern grov of trees. There the following two seasons are always prevalent, viz., the Sarad and the Hemanta. The Sarad season resembles a bull. It