________________
106
CHAPTER THREE
Stuti (192-199)
"O god, today at the sight of you people's pain arising from existence has disappeared like dirt from the earth from the rain of the rainy season. This day, the cause of the sight of you, on which we, stained by karma, shall become clean, is blessed, Master. Our eyes, which attained the sight of you, attained the kingship of all parts of the body and at once purified our souls. The ground of Bharatakṣetra, purified by contact with your feet, is conducive to destruction of evil. How much more the sight of you! The sight of you, Lord, to wrong-believers like owls is the source of humiliation to the sun by the light of omniscience. Today, O god, creatures' bonds of karma are broken, their bodies swelling from drinking the nectar of your sight. May the dust from your feet, capable of producing the polishing of the mirror of discernment, resembling the seeds of the tree of good fortune, protect. O Master, may the words of your teaching, like a mouthful of nectar, be for the welfare of us who are buried in the desert of saṁsāra."
After this hymn of praise, Śakra, Upendra, and Bala became silent, and Vimala Svämin began a brilliant sermon.
Sermon on enlightenment (201-213)
"The state of being a movable soul or an animal is produced from the immovable state 150 with difficulty by a creature's merit which has the form of involuntary destruction of karma.151 A human birth, an Aryan country, good family, sharpness of all the senses, and (long)-life are attained with difficulty because of slight karma. Though faith, a teacher, and desire to hear have been attained by merit, the jewel of enlightenment, which has the form of confidence in the Principles, is very hard to get. To be a
150 201. See I, pp. 19 ff and n. 29.
151 201. Nirjarä may be either akāma, 'involuntary,' or kāma", 'voluntary.'
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org