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CHAPTER THREE
Birth and birth-rites (25-36)
Now in the heaven Sahasrāra, King Padmasena's jiva completed its life of maximum duration. On the bright twelfth of Radha in the constellation (Uttara)bhādrapadā, it fell and descended into Queen Syāmā's womb. Queen Śyāmā saw the fourteen great dreams indicating the birth of a Tirthakara entering her mouth. When the time was complete, on the third day of the bright half of Magha, the moon being in Uttarabhadrapada, the planets being in exaltation, Lady Syāmā bore a son easily, marked with a boar, gold colored, possessing the three kinds of knowledge. The fifty-six Dikkumāris came from all sides and performed the birth-rites of the Master and Master's mother, like servants. Šakra came, took the Lord to Mt. Meru, set him on his lap, and sat down on the lionthrone on Atipāṇḍukambalā. The sixty-three Indras, Acyuta, et cetera, bathed in turn the thirteenth Jinendra with water from the tirthas. Sakra set the Lord on Iśāna's lap and bathed him with water rising from the bulls' horns like cascades rising from mountain-peaks. Vāsava himself rubbed the Master, who was wet with bath-water, with a devaduşya-cloth, like a jewel. He anointed the son of Śyāmā with gośīrṣa-sandal brought from Nandana which looked like clinging devaduṣya-cloth. After he had worshipped the Lord with varied wreaths, divine clothes, and ornaments, and had waved the light, Śakra recited a hymn of praise as follows:
Stuti (37-44)
"With delusion spreading on all sides like darkness, with Śaiva ascetics extremely angry like Rakṣasas; with Cārvākas 136 stealing the wealth of intelligence like robbers; with Brahmans extremely clever in deceit like jackals; with Kaulācāryas wandering in a circle 188 like bears; with
185 38. Cf. I, pp. 36 ff.
186 39. Cf. MW, Brahmanism and Hinduism, p. 196.
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