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Story of Ráma in Jain Literature
a grim fight he took the prince captive and produced him before the king who ordered that the prince be hanged. The minister and the citizens pleaded before the king to reduce the capital punishment. The king was, however, very firm. The minister undertook to execute the king's order. He took the prince and Vijaya to a forest, met a Jain monk, Mahabala by name who predicted that the two youths were destined to be Nārāyaṇa and Balabhadra in their third birth. The minister made the youths accept samyama at the hands of Mahabala. They practised severe penance and once near Khadgapura Candracula saw Suprabha Baladeva and Purusottama Vasudeva entering with great pomp the city. Candracula entertained a Nidäna (that he should have a similar fortune in one of his next births). Both the young monks after their death were born as gods Manicula (soul of Candracula) and Svarnacula (soul of Vijaya) in Kanaka-Prabhá-vimana. Their life period extended to seven sagaro-pamas.
Now Dasaratha was the ruler of Varanasi. He had a wife called Subalā. The soul of Vijaya (god Svarṇa-cula) was born of her. He was the prospective Halabhrt (= Balabhadra, Baladeva or Haladhara). The day of his birth was Phalguna-Krsnatrayodasi, Magha Nakṣatra, He was named Rāma. His span of life extended to 13000 years. And the soul of Candra-cula (god Mani-cula) was born of Kaikeyi, another wife of king Dasaratha, on Magha-sukla-pratipad, Visakhā-nakṣatra. His birth was announced by five lucky dreams that came to Kaikeyi. His body was marked with a Cakra. He was named Lakṣmaṇa. these two half-brothers were 15 dhanus in height, possessed of 32 lakṣaṇas and were very powerful. Rama was very fair in complexion like a swan and Lakṣmana dark-blue like a blue-lotus.
Now in Ayodhya there was born king Sagara (of Ikṣváku dynasty) 1000 years after Harisena. In the Svayamvara of Sulasă, daughter of king Suyodhana he insulted prince Madhu-pingala, who becomes an ascetic. After his death he was born as Mahākāla, a Vyantara god. In order to annihilate the race of Sagara who had insulted him he, disguised as a Brahmin made him perform animal-sacrifices. As a result of these animal sacrifices he went to hell and his whole race was blotted out of existence. Dasaratha who was of Ikṣváku dynasty then with his two sons shifted to Ayodhya and ruled over it. There were born to him from two queens Bharata and Satrughna respectively.
Now in Mithila there was a king by name Janaka. He had a wife called Vasudha, and a daughter named Sita. Once Janaka asked his Senapati by name Kusalamati about the performance of a sacrifice that would take him to Svarga as Sagara and others obtained, it is said, Svarga by such a performance of sacrifice. He replied that a sacrifice of that kind would be interrupted by Vidyadharas and Ravana, and added that if Sita were given in marriage to Ráma and his protection sought, they could perform the desired
7. These dreams are: 1) a lake, 2) the sun, 3) the moon, 4) a paddy-field and 5) a lion. 8. Their names are not mentioned in the text.
