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Early life of the Arhat Pārçvanātha
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would illumine the world, and prepared the festival of the birth of a Jina (55). The eight region maidens of the upper world showered flowers upon him. Other sets of eight divine maidens 3 each came from a different quarter to wait upon mother and son (68). Four region maidens from the island of Rucaka cut his navel-string, 4 buried it in a pit which they filled with jewels, and planted dūrvā-grass over it. Variously they continued to minister to mother and child, showering blessings upon them (77). A great tumult arose in heaven; the seats of the gods shook. Indra came from heaven; sang a hymn in praise of the mother; bestowed gifts upon mother and child. Hari, the thirty-three Vāsavas, the ten Vāimānikas, the thirty-two Vyantara lords, and other divinities garlanded and bathed the child (96). Suras danced and sang about him, and performed other festal acts. Çakra, after performing sorcery for his good luck, praised him as the future Savior of the three worlds (112). Indra placed ambrosia into the thumb of the baby to suck, and appointed five Apsaras as his nurses? (116). Other Vāsavas, coming from mount Meru, performed an eight day soma sacrifice to the eternal Arbats. Queen
•The names of these varieties of maidens are cataloged pedantically in sts. 51 ff.
According to Kathäkoça, p. 80, the day on which the navel-string is cut is auspicious.
See for these classifications, Burgess, Indian Antiquary, XXX. 28; Hertel, Pariçistaparvan, pp. 14 ff.; Stevenson, Heart of Jainism, p. 181.
In Mahābh. 3. 126. 31 Yuvanácva begets a son out of his thigh. Indra gives the boy his first finger to suck; hence his name Māndhātar (=mām dhătar, self-sucker'). A different pun on this name, in Ralson, Tibetan Tales, p. 1; see the note there.
'In the Tibetan Tales a noble child is regularly handed over to eight nurses, two to carry him, two to suckle him, two to cleanse him, and two to play with him; see pp. 52, 273, 279. See also tbe descriptions in Jatakas 538 and 547.
