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PAUMACARIU
PIRT
XXXII-XXXIII. Sandhis: Episode of Kulab hûşa pa and
Deśa bhūşa ņ a. Resuming their peregrinations, they approached Vaṁśasthala city, whose king along with his subjects was seen running away from the place in panic, as all of a sudden the city had become infested with a concert of calamities like cyclones, stone showers, roars and earthquakes. Ascending the hill there, rich in animals and vegetation, they came across the ascetics deeply engaged in meditation. Suddenly there appeared a big horde of screaming and roaring demons and goblins who showered all sorts of weapons on the ascetics who, regardless of those disturbances remained steadfast in their meditation. Räma and Laksmana dispersed the satanic horde with their arrows. At that moment the sages attained Kevala. Indra with his retinue of gods came to celebrate the occasion. He exhorted people to take to a religious life from which the highest fruit accrued.
At Rāma's request Kulabhūşaņa explained the cause of disturbances to their austerities. It was connected with their previous lives. In one of these, as two brothers they had out of compassion saved a bird. The brothers were reborn as Udita and Mudita. Udita killed his mother's paramour who had also murdered their father. King Vijaya, their master, professing heretical views, was converted by a company of Jain monks. Udita and Mudita along with the king renounced the world. In their wanderings they fell in the hands of a Bhilla chief Vasubhūti who was nobody else but their mother's paramour reborn. They were saved by another Bhilla chief who was formerly the bird rescued by them in their previous life. Vasubhūti died and wandering through numerous animal and hellish existences was reborn as Anuddhara at Ariştapura, where Udita and Mudita too were reborn as princes. At the king's death Anuddhara rebelled, but the princes subdued him. Anuddhara was reborn as god Agniketu, while the princes after passing through several existences were reborn as princes Kulabhūşaņa and Deśabhūşana at Siddhārthapura. Returning after their long stay with the teacher they fell in love with a girl, who turned out to be their very sister. Disgusted with the worldly life, they became recluses. The disturbånces to their austerities that were seen by Rama and Lakşmana were caused by god Agniketu bearing grudge to them from the past lives.
At Rāma's request Kulabhūşaņa foretold that he and Lakşmaņa would cross the southern ocean, win hundreds of battles and become eventually the lords of three continents.
XXXIV. Sandhi. Kula bhuş an a's sermon. Rama's
life as a forester. Kulabhūşaņa's sermon on the good fruit's of religious austerities, vows and penances.
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