________________
242
CHAPTER ONE
accepting the kingdom at his father's importunity, Sambhava Svāmin, very powerful, guarded the earth like a wreath of flowers. From Sambhava Svāmin's power the people in the kingdom were free from calamities, free from disease, living a human life-time. The Master did not even bend his brow over anything. What occasion was there to speak of bending the bow ? Destroying pleasure-karma, the Master passed forty-four lacs of pūrvas and four pūrvāngas as king. His mind endowed with three kinds of knowledge, selfenlightened, the Lord of the World reflected that existence in the world was like this:
"In worldly existence pleasure from enjoying senseobjects is sweet only for a moment, like poisoned food; but in the end (during digestion) produces evil. In this worthless ocean of existence human birth is attained by creatures with difficulty, like sweet water in saline soil. When one has attained human birth, it is spoilt to no purpose by the foolish by service to the senses, like a stream of nectar by cleansing the feet.”
Initiation (252-292) While the Lord was engaged in these reflections, the Lokāntika-gods came, bowed, and said, “Master, found a congregation.” After the gods had gone, the Lord of the World, eager for the festival of taking initiation, began to give gifts for a year. The Jțmbhaka-gods, sent by Sravana at the command of Sakra, brought money, gold, etc. of which the owners had died, whose landmarks had been lost, which had been put in mountains, deposited in cemeteries, and concealed in houses, long lost and disappeared. After they had brought it to the city Śrāvasti, they made piles like great mountains at the junctions of four roads and of three roads and other places. The Master had a proclamation made aloud by officials in Srävasti: "Whatever money any one needs, he may ask for that freely." Daily the Master gave away one crore and eight lacs of gold. There are so many beggars for money when the
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
