Trishasti Shalaka Purusa Caritra Part 1

Author(s): Hemchandracharya, Helen M Johnson
Publisher: Oriental Research Institute Vadodra

Page 143

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with his gods slowly emptied the pitchers over the Lord of the World. Being turned over the Master's head, the water-pitchers shone like rain-clouds over the peak of Sumeru. Being made to bend by the gods on both sides of the Lord's head, they at once assumed the appearance of jeweled ear-rings. The streams of water falling from these pitchers with yojana-wide mouths looked like cascades from mouths of mountain-caves. The jets of water spurting up in all directions from the region of the head looked like shoots from the bulb of dharmathe Master. Spread out on the head in a circle like a white umbrella ; spreading out on the forehead like a forehead-ornament of sandal; on the ears like beauty gained by eyes extending to the ends of the ears; like a canopy of camphor-leaves and vines on the sides of the cheeks; like a cluster of bright smiles on his beautiful lips; like a string of large pearls on his neck; like a tilaka of sandal on the shoulder ; like a broad jacket on the arm, chest and back; like an uttariva (upper garment) on the space between hip and knee; falling on the Master, the water from the Ocean of Milk shone.
As soon as the Lord's bath-water fell on the ground, with devotion it was seized by some, like rain by câtakas.101 “Where, pray, will we obtain that again ?" With this thought, some gods put the water on their heads like men it a desert. Some gods with eagerness sprinkled their bodies again and again, like elephants suffering from summer-heat. Advancing quickly on the plateaux of Mt. Meru, the water formed a thousand rivers on all sides. It (the water) assumed the appearance of a wide-spreading unequaled river in the gardens meter; skandhaka is a kind of ārya-meter ; galita is a kind of meter ; utsäha and vastuvadana are Apabhransa-meters. See Hem. Chandonu. sasana, Chap. 4, padas 6 and 7, pp. 30 f., for āsya and galita-meters ; Chap. 5, padas 10 and II, pp. 35 f., for utsāba and vastuvadana.
26. Cucculus melanoleucus. According to literary convention, it subsists on rain-drops.
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