Jain Journal 1973 04

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

Page 76

228
The messenger agreed to this, and departed ; (but) Asvagriva learned fully about the attack on him from his men who had gone ahead of him. When the messenger learned that Asvagriva knew this, he was afraid to lie and gave an accurate account of the attack on himself.
JAIN JOURNAL
Asvagriva sent another man with orders to Prajapati. He went and told him; "Guard the rice from the lion. This is our lord's command." Prajapati said to his sons, "The lord has been made angry by you, since he has commanded guarding from the lion out of turn." The princes stopped the king who had started, after saying this, and, eager to fight the lion, went to Sankhapura. Questioned by Tripristha, "How and how long have other kings kept off the lion ?" the riceguards said, "The kings kept guard by making a rampart of the fourpart army, coming in turn at the time of the rains (and staying), indeed, until the gathering of the rice."
Tripristha said to them: "Who, pray, will stay so long? So show me the lion, that I alone may kill him." Then they pointed out the lion who had gone into a cave in Mt. Tunga. Seated in a chariot, Rama (Acala) and Sarngin (Tripristha) went to the cave. The people made a loud noise at the sides of the cave and, on hearing it, the lion came out, his mouth open in a yawn.
Saying, "Our fight is not equal if I am in a chariot and he is a footsoldier," Tripristha got down from the chariot with his shield and sword. "He has teeth and claws as weapons; I have a shield and sword. Verily, that is not right." With these words Hari threw away his shield and sword. The lion noticed that and, remembering former births, reflected : 'The fact that he came alone to my cave is one piece of impudence; dismounting from the chariot is a second; throwing away his weapons is a third. Therefore, I shall destroy him, arrogant (durmada) like an elephant blind from ichor (mada).'
With these reflections, this best of lions, his mouth wide open, instantly took a leap, sprang up, and fell upon Tripristha. Tripristha seized his upper jaw with one hand and his lower jaw with the other and tore the lion asunder like an old garment. The gods rained flowers, ornaments and garments on Hari; and the people, filled with astonishment, praised him, saying, "Well done! Well done!"
"Alas! how was I killed by this boy today!" The lion continued to struggle from anger at this reflection even though he was in two pieces. Then the soul of the Ganabhrit Gautama, the charioteer of Sarngin who