Lilavati Sara

Author(s): Jinratnasuri, H C Bhayani, N M Kansara
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 54

Introduction
Is
When he was being carried in the sky by the horse, he took it to be some evil demon and hit it with a dagger. The horse fell down. He jumped down on the ground and began to walk in one of the directions. He arrived at a Jaina temple on the bank of a lake, offered worship to the image, and while he was on the precincts, he saw some divine damsels coming out of the lake. They worshipped the image They told him that they were the daugbters of a Yakşa, that the temple was built by a Vidyā. dhara king, and revealed that the horse that had led him there was really his friend. A tribal princ: arrived there and Surandbara accompanied him to his village. When he reached the village he was attacked by a host of tribals and their dogs. At that moment an ascetic arrived there and got him frted from them, on condition that he would renc unce the worldly life. Later on the ascetic revealed his identity as god Śūra, tock him to the preceptor Samar sepasūri, who duly initiated him along with his wives, parents, friends and feudatories.
Canto 15
Rebirth of Kanakaratha as Kulam rgānka : His Initiation
King Balavāhana of Gurjaratrā bad a queeu nap.ed Malayasundani. The soul of god Kanakaratha descended from heaven and was born as a son to the royal couple. He was named Kulam rgānka. After due education, he was married to eight princesses.
When the time for his enlightenment was ripe, the preceptor Sawar. asena ordered Sūradeva, who assumed the form of a picture-scrol! displayer and went to the city. There he entertained people by displaying picture scrolls of family discords. People offered rich presents, but he would accept nothing. He grew very popular in the city, The news reached the pripce. He invited the scroll-displayer to display the pictures. The displayer showed on the scroll how a soul passed through various births such as a vegetable creature, a creature with one or more senses, an airbo died, firebodied and similar creatures; a bird, raptile, amphibion and wild ani mal; a human being in different castes and social strata, a creature in various hells and heavens. He also showed numerous kinds of sufferings and miseries that the soul endured during his transmigrations. Thereafter that soul was shown born as Yaśoravi (Here the account of Yaśoravi, parrated previously at vi 28-235, is reproduced). Reborn as Vasunanda, and then as Kanakaratba, now he was Kulamręānka. The scroll-displayer revealed that he himself was the god Sūra. The prince recalled his past births. Disgusted