Life and Stories of Jaina Savior Parcvanatha

Author(s): Maurice Bloomfield
Publisher: Maurice Bloomfield

Page 25

Introduction
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to protect him from the sun. He wanders again, to many places, to find out where dwells the enemy Illusion. The Asura Meghamālin (the soul of Kamatha) attacks the Lord Pārçva with tigers, elefants, and scorpions, but, when he shows no fear, they slink off, as tho ashamed. Meghamālin then tries to submerge him in the waters produced by a fearful thunderstorm; even then the Lord does not budge from his place and his pious meditations. Dharaṇa, finding out by superior insight that Kamatha is attacking the Lord, fashions by means of his serpent hoods an umbrella over his head: the Lord stands there like a royal hansa bird, submerged in a deep trance, retaining his equanimity in the face of both Kamatha's attacks and Dharana's devotion. Dharana then excoriates Meghamālin's hatred of the Lord, pointing out that he had done him no injury, but on the contrary, had saved him from the sin of burning up Dharaṇa on the occasion of his uncanny practice. Meghamälin then repents, resorts to the Lord, and goes home, determined to devote himself to piety. Thus ends the drama of the persecution of the soul of Marubhūti by the soul of Kamatha, carried on thru ten existences..
Then Pārçva returns to his native city of Kāçi (Vārāņasī), where he reaches the state of Kevalin with all its supernatural powers. His father, Açvasena; his mother, Vāmā; and his wife, Prabhāvatī, come out to honor him; Açvasena sings a hymn in his praise. Pārçva continues to wander and preach, until he realizes that Nirvāṇa is at hand. He then goes to the Sammeta mountain, and practices a month's asceticism. He attains to various forms of spiritual refinement, up to the point when his karma is destroyed. He dies and reaches the summit of heaven. Çakra bathes the body with the fluid of the ocean of milk, and adorns him with divine jewels. The