________________
311
to-day. I am fortunate to having him after a lapse of many days. With Sun-set, the evenloig Pūjā was over, the worshipper of the temple went home, and Bhagavān Mabāvīra Swami remained in Kāyotsarga.
With the object of terrifying Sramaņa Bhagavān Mahāvīra who was standing in Kāyotsarga, Sūlapāņi yakşi created an unique roaring loud laughter, resembling the deep terrible shou. ting noise of the time of annihilation of the world, which frightened people, and which was expanding by the extremely formidable, increasing louder echoes. On hearing loud laughter, the village- people becoming bewildered with fear, began to talk with one another :- Ah! ibe yakşa is killing the magnanimous worthy man."
Now, a parivrājaka ( religious mendicant) named Utpala who had previously taken Diksā in the Order of Monks of Tirthankara Bhagavān Sri Pārsva Nātha Swami and who was very clever in his knowledge of all the eight branches of the Science of Omens, on bearing from the village - people that "a worthy man with very auspicious marks on bis body, will be killed by the yaksa," began to doubt whether the same individual may or may not be Śramaņa Bhagavān Mahāviia who had recently adopted asc: tic life, and he became annoyed as he was unable to enter the temple owing to fear from the yakşa.
When Šramana Bhagavăn Mabăvire was not in the least terrified by the loud rcaring laughter, Śūlapāņi Yakşa assumed the form of a monstrous demon whose reddish, thick, and long mass of hair covered the surface of the sky; whose loathsome face resembled a very ripe and dry gourd; wbose dirty teeth protruded from his mouth like the goads of elephants of quarters; whose reddish hair of the face were trembling by the gust of wind from his thick nostrils; whose mass of bones of the chest was covered by a harsh hangiug piece of skin; whose gastric region resembled the hind hollow portions up a ghata (pot); whose both the thighs were devoid of flesh, covered with tendons and
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
