________________
562
doing obeisance to Sramana Bhagavāna Mahävira with great devotion. But he defiled his devotion by the pride that he should go to the Worshipful Lord with the retinue and pomp, which no other king has ever done Tîrthankara Bhagavans are never pleased even if all the sixty-four Indras were to go to them for obeisance with all their united retinue and their divine pomp. Because, Jineśvara Bhagavāns possess ananta jnāna (endless knowledge, ananta virya (endless prowess ) and ananta ananda (endless joy ) Now is the suitable opportunity to remove the pride of this king.
With this idea in his mind, Saudharmendra ordered Airā. vana ( Indra's elephant ). With the Indra's permission god Airā vaņa created sixty thousand elephants. Each elephant had five hundred mouths. Each mouth had eight tusks. On each tusk, there were eight oblong tanks filled with pure water. In each water-tank, there were eight lotus-flowers of one hundred thousand petals each. On each petal, there were thirty-two divine dances being performed. On the pericarp on each lotus, there was a paraphernalia. On a commodious lion-seated throne, in the front portion of each palace, an indra was sitting with his eight agra-mahişīs ( Chief Consorts ). The Indra in company with numerous gods and goddess, is extolling the virtuous qualities of the Jinéśvara. With such splendid equipment and pomp, the Indra sitting on Airāvana (Indra's elephant ), .went three times round Šramaņa Bhagavāna Mahāvira by way of pradaksiria, and he was thus doing obeisance to the Worshipful Lord. The front feet of the Airāvana elephant who was standing firm on the ground, on his hind feet, reached the top of the mountain. The mountain Daśârna-kūta sanctified by the feet of Sramaga Bhagavana Mahāvīra was consequently named as as Gajāgrapāda.
On seeing the extensive equipment and dazzling beauty of the paraphernalia of Saudharmendra, King Daśārgabhadra, being
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org