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Comments: This verse describes the assembly of the Tirthankara. Every Tirthankara preaches in a divine 'assembly hall' constructed by the gods. The structure of this assembly, called the samovasarana in Jain terminology, consists of three circular walls. The speaker i.e. the Tirthankara occupies the central part. All around Him Devas, humans and animals seat in their respective circles and listen to the sermon delivered by the Tirthankara. There usually is a separate area for even the vehicles of all the gods who are attending the samovasarana. It is also said that three circular walls are made of three different types of materials.
Verse No. 28 O Jina, When Indra bows down at your feet, the flowers in their celestial garlands move away from the jewelled necklaces and resort to your feet. Indeed the good minded (sumanasa) do not find pleasure anywhere else when they are in your company.
Comments: Here the use of the word sumanasa is quite significant. Su + manasa could mean good minded people, whereas the other meaning of sumanasa is flowers. The poet has cleverly used the word to show that both good minded people and flowers tend to resort to the Lord's feet when they are near to Him.
Verse No. 29 O Lord, You have turned away your face from the ocean of death and rebirths yet you enable the living beings clinging to your back to cross it nevertheless. This is also seen in the case of an earthen pot (which floats upside down on the ocean but can safely carry some little creature on its back). The pot does this because it has gone through a certain process (the heat of a furnace meaning vipäka) but you do it even though you are free from such processes (the result of karma, also meaning vipäka).
Comments: This is not an easy verse to translate into English. The poet has used the word vipäka in two senses:
When old karma starts bringing its fruit of the past good or bad deeds, it is said to have karma-vipaka. When a potter makes a pot, he puts it in an oven so that the clay is hardened and acquires a permanent shape. This procedure of heating is referred to as the vipäka of the clay (pot). A pot can float upside down on the water and the clay does not melt away after it has been heated in the oven. Therefore the pot with vipäka can make others cross the sea whereas the Tirthankara even though he is without vipäka can help people cross the sea of mundane existence.
Verse No. 30 O saviour of the mankind, though you are:
(1) The master of the universe, yet you are poor (durgata means poor; the other meaning of this word is - one who is realised with great difficulty).
(2) Although your very nature is a letter (akshara means letter; other meaning of this word is imperishable), you are not forming an alphabet (alipi means without lipi, without alphabet, other meaning of the word is 'not bound by karma').
(3) And finally the knowledge permanently shines in you even though you are ignorant. (
Comments: Once again the richness in Sanskrit language delights every reader here because the poet has inserted apparent contradictions in this verse.
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