Trishasti Shalaka Purusa Caritra Part 6

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

Page 43

PREVIOUS BIRTHS
Incarnation as Marici (25–71) Now, in this same Bharata there is a very fair city, named Vinītā, built in the past by the Indras for Yugādinātha (Rşabha). Bharata, the son of holy Rşabha Svāmin, was cakravartin there, lord of nine treasures, 3 lord of fourteen jewels. The soul of the village-overseer fell and became his son, who shed rays of light and so was called “Marici.' As a member of the warrior-caste, Marici went with his father, brothers, and others to the first samavasaraņa of Rşabha Svāmin. After he had seen the honor paid to the Lord by the gods and had listened to dharma, his mind was captured by right-belief, and he took the vow. Knowing well the duties of ascetics, indifferent even to his own body, possessing the three controls,5 observing the five kinds of carefulness, 6 free from passions, keeping the five great vows, 7 studying the eleven8 angas under the elders, Marici wandered as a mendicant with Rşabha Svāmin for a long time.
One day, when he was on the road, (walking) in a layer of dust that burned the nails on travelers' feet and was harsh from the rays of the sun in the hot season, both of his garments smeared with dirt from his body wet with perspiration, suffering from thirst, as a result of the maturing of good-conductobscuring karma, 9 he reflected:
3 26. Their names, descriptions, and functions are given in I, p. 252 f.
4 26. The 14 jewels are enumerated in I, n. 200. The 'iga’ should probably be taken as 'ekāvali,' a necklace of one strand.
5 30. Trigupti. Control of mind, body, and speech. Uttar. 24. 19-25.
6 30. Samiti. Tryā-, care in walking not to injure any living thing; bhāṣā-, care not to injure any one by speech; eşaņā-, care in obtaining alms; ādānaniksepana-, care in regard to handling possessions, pratisthāpana-, or utsarga, care in regard to sanitary hygienic practices. Uttar. 24. 1-18.
7 30. The mahāvratas are non-injury, truthfulness, honesty, chastity, and poverty. See I, p. 56.
8 31. The 11 foremost books of the Canon. There were 12 originally, but one was lost.
933. Căritrāvarana. There is no caritrāvarana in the categories of karma. It must be used here for cāritramohaniya. Also in 9. 213.