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CHAPTER THREE
Covering the ground completely with horses with trappings of gold like birds with golden wings; with chariots with tall flag-staffs like boats with masts; with choice elephants with trickling mada like mountains with cascades; with infantry with weapons raised like waves of the ocean with serpents, the King soon reached the vicinity of Sahasrāmravaṇa.
208
King Sagara descended from the elephant, like a muni from conceit, at the golden mounting-block at the garden-gate. Sagara left his umbrella, chauris, and also other insignia of royalty. For that is the procedure of the reverent. From reverence he did not put on his shoes, and disregarded the arm offered by the door-keeper. Then King Sagara went on foot with crowds of men and women of the town to the samavasaraṇa. The King entered the samavasaraṇa by the north door, like the sun the division of the sky in the sign of Capricorn.20 209 After he had circumambulated the Teacher of the World three times and bowed to him, Sagara began a hymn of praise in a voice sweet as nectar:
Stuti (418-432)
The cakra 210 shines in front of you, a sun at the meridian for people with wrong-belief, imperishable collyrium 211 for keen-sighted people with right-belief, a tilaka of the Laksmi of Tirthakṛts. Jambhavidvis has raised a finger to say, 'He alone is master in the world,' in the guise of a lofty indradhvaja. Wherever your feet take a step, there the gods and asuras scatter Śri dwelling on a lotus in the guise of lotuses.
You became four
""
208 410. Perhaps an allusion to the Veladharin-gods, who are a division of the Nagakumāras.
209 416. When it begins the journey north of the equator. See I, n. 345.
210 418. 211 418.
to the eye.
Jain Education International
The dharmacakra.
Collyrium is considered beneficial as well as beautifying Cf. Penzer, I, pp. 211 ff.
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