Risabha Deva

Author(s): Champat Rai Jain
Publisher: Jain Mitra Mandal

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world, and joined the sisterhood of Nuns one Śrutakirti became the first Householder, and a pious lady, by name Priyavarta, became the first lay female follower of the Lord. Another of Bharata's brothers whose name was Anantavirya, at once became a monk. He was the first to obtain nirvana in this half cycle of time. Many others joined the Sangha (Community of the Pious), all desirous of attaining release from perpetual slavery to Death, and bad luck.
Most of the four thousand chiefs and chieftains who had renounced the world with Risabha Deva and who had slunk away from tapascharana now came back to Him and entered the Sangha.
After the departure of Bharata the Indra of the first Heaven stood up to chant the praises of the Lord. He composed an adoration in which he described the Holy One by one thousand and eight auspicious names.
The devas, then supplicated the WORLD TEACHER through their Leader, in the following words :"O Master Divine, O Preserver of Souls; O Protector of Life, O Giver of Joy to all Living Beings! the bhavyas (those who possess the realizable potentiality in their nature) in other parts of the world are in need of Thine Discourse Divine. They are like parched crops, which wither without rain and are revived by it! Do Thou now proceed to enlighten
them !
"3
RISABHA DEVA
A procession was formed at once, the Lord proceeding on His Divine mission, surroundded by