________________
178
RIŞABHA DEVA must be deemed to be quite empty of Souls even today! And so far as practicability of the Doctrine is concerned, it cannot be deemed to have been demonstrated even in a single instance, since no one is to be deemed to have attained to nirvana thus far! But this is too absurd to be acceptable in any sense.
When a fortnight remained in the life of the WORLD TEACHER, the Samarasarana dispersed ; and the Lord proceeded to accomplish the destruction of the remaining karmic forces of the non-inimical type that still adhered to His Great Spirit. It was the last (Purnamāśi) day in the month of Pauşa on which He seated Himself in the middle of the two summits Sri Sikhara and Siddha Sikhara of the Mount Kailāśa, and applied Himself to pure Self-contemplation of the higher type. He sat in the sitting posture, facing the East.
On the night preceding the Purnamāśi day, Bharata and others had seen several portentous dreams, towards the end of the last watch. Bharata saw the huge Mountain Meru extending to the Place of the Perfect Ones. His son Arkakirti saw a huge Tree possessing medicinal properties moving up towards the heavens, after curing living beings of their ailments! The Chamberlain of the household of the Emperor, too,
