Trishasti Shalaka Purusa Caritra Part 2

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

Page 62

BIRTH OF AJITA AND SAGARA
37
of theirs increased very much suddenly, like the beauty of golden rods that have been polished. Though walking slowly before, the queens walked especially slowly like indolent rājahańsīs. Their embryos grew secretly, bestowing happiness, like lotus-stalks in rivers, like pearls in pearl-oysters.
When nine months, seyen and a half days had passed, at an auspicious moment on the eighth day of the bright half of the month Māgha, the planets being in exaltation, (the moon being) in the constellation Rohiņi, Vijayā bore a son marked with an elephant, like true speech bearing merit. Neither the Queen nor her son had any birth-pains, for that is the power of the Tirthanāthas arising from their own nature. At that time there was a light in the three worlds for a moment, like the light from lightning that comes unexpectedly without a cloud. Then there was comfort for a moment even for hell-inhabitants, like comfort for travelers from shade at the arrival of a cloud. Then the heavens were serene like waters in autumn, and there was great rejoicing of the people like that of daylotuses at dawn. An auspicious, favorable wind blew suddenly, creeping slowly, slowly over the earth, as if rising from the earth. Birds of omen appeared on all sides, indicating auspiciousness, for everything must be auspicious, not otherwise, at the birth of the pure-minded.
Birth-rites performed by Dikkumāris (131-243)
Then the thrones of the Dikkumāris trembled, as if eager to jump up from the desire to go into the Jina's presence. Wearing veils of cloth of a deep safflower hue, as it were, in the guise of a flood of light from beautiful crest-jewels; adorned with pearl ear-rings with the inside filled with their own light, like pitchers of nectar with tinkling waves of nectar ; resplendent with necklaces made of various gems imitating the appearance of a rainbow made into a circle; beautiful with ropes of pearls placed on rounded breasts, stealing the beauty of cascades