________________
–
ci
ai
†
i
Beating up the ghoul means that you will destroy your deluding karma Seeing a white cuckoo (Koyala) indicates you will enter into deep meditation Seeing a strange coloured cuckoo means you will give a sermon filled with multi-faceted knowledge The soothsayer could not interpret the meanings of the two gemstudded garlands Seeing herd of white cattle means you will establish the four-fold order Seeing a pond of lotus blossoms means you will be served by four kinds of gods Seeing yourself swimming across the ocean means you will cross the ocean of the world Seeing the world lit up by the thousand rays of the sun means you will attain pure knowledge and instruct others Seeing your entrails enveloping the M nu ottara mountain means your fame will spread across the world of people Seeing yourself ascend the Mer mountain means you will give a sermon seated on the throne
o
o
10.
About the brilliant garlands, the Lord said they meant the two forms of religion, namely, that of mendicants, and that of householders. Everybody was delighted to hear the meaning of the dreams. During a year's stay at Asthigr ma the Lord did not face any calamities. Peacefully he observed 8 times fasts of a fortnight each and completed his first year of stay.
The Second year of spiritual-exertion
After completing the year-long stay at Asthigr ma, Mah v ra moved towards Mor ka province on the first day of the dark fortnight of Mrgar a. Reaching Mor ka, he entered a garden. A heretic named Acchamdaka used to live there, who used to make a living out of astrology. The god Siddh rtha told people in Mor ka village – "This mendicant is the receptacle of three kinds of knowledge and knows of the past, present and future.” Not just that, he also brought to light the bad deeds of Acchamdaka that turned out to be true. As a result, his influence declined. On the other end, impressed by the Lord's penance, more and more people started coming to him. Acchamdaka was worried seeing
279
