Paumacariya 1

Ṛṣabha, the supreme Jina and bull [among men], the first Tīrthaṅkara of the avasarpiṇī, / who was worshipped by hosts of Siddhas, gods, Kinnaras, Uragas, lordly Dānavas, and Bhavanapatis;

Ajita, who conquered passion; Sambhava, who had no rebirth and destroyed worldly existence; / Abhinandana and Sumati; Padmaprabha, radiant as a lotus;

Supārśva, supreme in the three worlds; Candraprabha; the supreme Jina Kusumadanta; / then Śītala, lord of munis; Śreyāṁsa and Vāsupūjya;

Vimala, and likewise Ananta; Dharma, the abode of dharma; the Jina Śānti; / Kunthu, the destroyer of passion; Ara, who conquered foes, the very fortunate;

Malli, who crushed the stream of rebirths; Munisuvrata, of noble vows, lord of the gods— / in whose tīrtha this life of Padma took place;

Nami, Nemi, and likewise Pārśva, blazing with jewels upon the great hoods of serpents; / and the Blessed One Mahāvīra, free from the dust and dirt [of karma], venerated by the three worlds;

and whatever other great ṛṣis, Gaṇadharas, and homeless ascetics have attained greatness, / restrained in mind, speech, and body—to all of them I bow with my head.

Arranged according to a series of names, handed down in the succession of teachers, / I shall tell the entire Paümacariya in brief and in proper order.

Who can narrate without omission the story of the Paümacariya, / except a kevalin Jina whose knowledge encompasses the three times?

The meaning which formerly came forth from the mouth of the supreme Jina in many varieties, / was retained by the Gaṇadharas and taught in this brief form.

Thus, through succession, there has been a decline in the contents of ancient texts; / knowing the nature of time, wise men should not take offense.

Here there are some men of erratic temper, eager to seize upon flaws; / even when pleased by good speech, they still grasp no merit.

Poets speak the meaning uttered by the Omniscient according to the virtue of the tradition. / Does a thread not pass through a great gem pierced by a diamond needle?

In this very assembly, the minds of men are manifold in thought. / Who is able to grasp those [minds], which are like leaves tossed by the wind?

Even the Tīrthaṅkaras and knowers of scripture could not make the three worlds of one mind; / what, then, can people like us of feeble intellect do here?

Although the world has a hard heart and is clever in many deceits and tricks, / even so I speak now according to the power of my own intellect.

The body is filled with disease, life is as transient as a flash of lightning; / only the aesthetic relish of poetic virtue endures as long as the moon, the sun, and the host of planets.

Therefore, a person seeking consciousness of the self / should constantly maintain in his heart zeal for singing the praises of great men.

Those alone are truly ears which are filled with hearing the teaching of the supreme Jina; / others are merely fashioned of wood, like those of a jester.

That alone is a supreme head which nods at praises and asceticism; / another, devoid of virtue, is merely a coconut shell.

Those eyes are truly most praiseworthy which are eager for the sight of the Jinas; / but those soiled by false belief are as if painted by an artist.

Those teeth are endowed with beauty which are delighted with stories of the supreme Jinas; / the rest are produced merely for chewing when speech is bound.

What is the use of a nose greedy for diverse fragrant scents, / if it does not know the fragrant scent of the meaning of the good scriptures in the world?

Those lips alone are excellent here which utter right speech; / others are like a dormant leech, a strip of cloth, or a sea shell.

That tongue is beautiful in the world which knows the juice of the doctrine; / the rest, with the sharp edge of bad words, are like freshly made daggers.

That face-lotus is superior which is anointed with virtues; / another is said to be like a hole, merely filled with tooth-worms.

The man who reads, listens, and strives in asceticism according to his power, / he is indeed supreme in the world; another is merely made of shells.

Therefore, abandoning foolishness with all respect, / a person should possess prudent understanding and be joined with devotion to the teaching of the Jinas.

Now, along the high path of the Paümacariya made by the great elephant that was Mahāvīra, / elephant-like poets even today tread in succession.

Just as a bee, eager for the scent of the rut of the best of elephants, / keeps its eye on the drop of ichor along the way, so have I set forth.

Hear in brief the Paümacariya, charming according to the sūtras, / composed in gāthās with clear and distinct meaning by Vimalasūri:

The origin of the lineages, departure, battle, the birth of Lava and Kuśa, / nirvāṇa, and multiple births—here are the seven topics of the Purāṇa.

Hear in brief the sūtra, endowed with causes and chapters, / describing these deeds of Padma spoken by the son of Triśalā.

From the delightful summit of Mount Vipula, the noble abode of Mahāvīra, / Indrabhūti related it in its entirety to King Śreṇika:

The origin of the lineages of the kulakaras, the conduct causing worldly life, / the birth and arising of the Jina Ṛṣabha, and his consecration on Mount Mandara;

the diverse teachings that destroy the distress of the world, / asceticism, the arising of omniscience, wonders, and showers of blossoms;

nirvāṇa worshipped by all gods and asuras, the greatness of supreme bliss, / and the battle of Bharata and Bāhubali as it occurred;

the origin of castes, and of sectarian heretics bearing diverse costumes; / and the origin of the Vidyādhara lineage from Vidyuddamṣṭra;

the dreadful affliction of the bull among sages, Saṁjayanta; / the arising of omniscience, and the giving of sciences by Dharaṇa;

the origin of Ajita, the good and bad consequences of full merit in the samavasaraṇa, / and how shelter was given to a Vidyādhara by the lord of Rākṣasas;

the place and boon given by the lord of Rākṣasas to the prince; / the origin of Sagara, his suffering, asceticism, and nirvāṇa;

the celebration of the glory of the birth of the great Rākṣasa [named] Atikānta; / and likewise the emergence of the Rākṣasa lineage should be known;

the origin of the lineage of the Vānara-banner holders should be known in due order; / and the deed of Taḍitkeśa accompanied by Udadhikumāra;

the arrival of the sky-going Kiṣkindhi, Andhaka, and Śrīmālā; / the slaying of Vijayasimha and the anger of Aśanivega;

the slaying of Andhaka, the entrance then into the excellent city of Pātāla-alaṅkāra; / and the founding of the delightful city of Kiṣkindhī upon Mount Madhu.

The going and entrance into Laṅkā of the mighty sons of Sukēśin; / the cause of the death of Nirghāta, and the vast prosperity of Mālin;

On the southern ridge of the Vaitāḍhya mountain, in the city of Cakkavāla, / the origin of Indra, and the lordship over the Vidyādhara ranges;

The slaying of Mālin in battle, the birth and origin of prince Vaiśramaṇa, / and the entrance of the son of Sumālin into the excellent garden of Kusumanta;

His union with Kaikasī, the vision of the supreme dreams there, / the birth of the Ten-necked One [Rāvaṇa], and the mastering of the magical lores;

The agitation of the Yakṣa Anāḍhya, and likewise the arrival of Sumālin; / the obtaining of Mandodarī, and the inspection of maiden princesses;

Likewise the career of Bhānukarṇa [Kumbhakarṇa], the wrath arising from Vaiśramaṇa, / the battle between Rākṣasas and Yakṣas, and the penance of Dhanada to be known;

The arrival of the Ten-necked One at Laṅkā, his sight of and inquiring after the Jina temples, / and the deed of Hariṣēṇa, auspicious and dispelling evil;

The capture of the rutting great elephant named Bhuvanālaṅkāra, / the station attained by Yama, and the [origin of the] Kiṣkindhī [lineage] from Ṛkṣarajas and Ādityarajas;

The entrance of the Ten-faced One and Dūṣaṇa into the excellent city of Pātāla-alaṅkāra; / in the separation from Candrodara, the clash of Anurādhā's sorrow;

Then in the city of Virādhita, the union with the glory of Sugrīva, / [and] the agitation of Vālin at the mountain Aṣṭāpada;

The obtaining of Tārā by Sugrīva, the death of Sāhasagati, / the extreme distress, and the march of the Ten-necked One to the mountain;

The detachment of Anaraṇya and Sahasrakiraṇa, the destruction of the sacrifice, / the tale of Madhu's former birth, and the longing for Uparambhā;

The obtaining of the magical lores, the loss of King Mahēndra's royal fortune, / the Ten-necked One's departure for Mount Mandara, and his return once more;

The attainment of omniscience by the great sage, the homeless ascetic Anantavīrya, / Rāvaṇa's taking of vows, and the birth of Hanumat;

Upon Mount Aṣṭāpada, the loving sight of Mahēndra and Prahrāda, / the wrath of Pavanañjaya, and the abandonment of Añjanā;

The relation, told by the supreme sage, of Hanumat's series of former births, / and the inquiry made in the city of Hanurūha by the one named Pratisūrya;

In the middle of the Bhūtāṭavī forest, the mission of the Vidyādhara Pavanañjaya, / and the joyful festival of reunion with the Vidyādhara princess Añjanā;

The extremely dreadful battle of the mighty son of Pavanañjaya, / the reign of the Ten-faced One, and the intervals of height among the Jinas;

The deeds of the Balas, Kēśavas, and their enemies, heading with the universal monarchs; / the attainment of royal power by Daśaratha, and the supreme fortune of Kaikeyī's boon;

Fighting with Indra, he was captured by the Ten-necked One; / filled with spiritual urgency, the lord of men attained initiation;

The birth of Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa, Bharata, and Śatrughna; / the birth of Sītā, and the grief connected with Videha;

Nārada's drawing of Sītā, the folly of his brother on seeing it, / and the appearance of the jewel of a bow for the sake of the maiden's svayaṃvara;

The renunciation of King Daśaratha near the sage Sarvabhūtaśaraṇa, / the recount of former lives, and the wedding with Sītā;

The obtaining of the boon by Kaikeyī, the reign of Bharata and his supreme majesty; / then Lakṣmaṇa, Rāma, and Sītā departing to a foreign land;

The conduct of King Vajrakarṇa, the win of an excellent maiden, / the subjugation of the terrible power, and the release of the Vālikhilyas;

Near the village of Aruṇa, the founding of the extremely delightful Rāmapurī; / the union with Vanamālā, and the great exaltation of Ativīrya;

The winning of Jitaśatru, the affliction of Deśabhūṣaṇa and Kulabhūṣaṇa, / and the building of a Jina temple by Rāma atop Mount Vaṃśagiri;

Seeing the majesty of the gift, the majesty gained through vows by Jaṭāyus; / the ascending of the celestial chariot, and the slaying of Śambūka;

The arrival of the son of Kaikeyī, the extremely terrifying battle with Khara and Dūṣaṇa; / on account of the abduction of Sītā, the deep sorrow of Lord Rāma;

The swift arrival of Virādhita and the slaying of Dūṣaṇa; / the destruction of the lores of Ratnajaṭin, and the meeting with Sugrīva;

The slaying of Sāhasagati, the obtainment of news concerning Sītā; / the meeting with Vibhīṣaṇa, and the acquisition of the lores by the Balas and Kēśavas;

The supreme binding by Kumbhakarṇa and Indrajit in serpent-nooses, / the spear-strike upon Lakṣmaṇa, and the arrival of Viśalyā;

The Ten-necked One's entry into the temple of the Lord Jina Śāntinātha; / then the arrival of the doorkeepers, and the entry into Laṅkā;

The arising of the discus for Lakṣmaṇa, the slaying of the Ten-faced One, / the lamentation of the noble women, and the arrival of the kevalin;

The initiation of Indrajit and others, the news of the reunion with Sītā, / Nārada's arrival in Laṅkā, and the entrance into the city of Sākēta;

The deeds of the former lives of those who entered the Bharata realm as related; / Bharata's renunciation, and Lakṣmaṇa being installed on the throne;

The lovely [wife] being gained by the one possessing the body marked by Śrīvatsa; / and death overtaking the exceedingly mighty Lavana in battle;

The destruction of the affliction of the country-people in the territory of the city of Mathurā; / the arising of the seven sages, and the abandonment of Sītā;

Then Sītā was seen by King Vajrajaṅgha; the birth of Lava and Kuśa; / having conquered the best of kings, they fought with their father;

The attainment of knowledge by those who adorn all people, the arrival of the gods, / the occurrence of the miracle, and Sītā's [severing of the] dreadful cycle of births;

The undertaking of fierce penance; the uproar at the svayaṃvara in Kṛtāntavadana; / the initiation of the young princes, and the evil rebirth of Bhāmaṇḍala;

The renunciation of Hanumat; the cause of Lakṣmaṇa departing to the next world; / the penance of Lavaṇa and Kuśa, and the lamentation and sorrow of Rāma;

Induced by a god from a previous birth, Rāghava took the nirgrantha initiation; / he attained omniscience, and likewise attained nirvāṇa;

May all good and impartial people hear this entire account, / how Padma, through a pure mind, reached the path of liberation.

This career of the eighth Rāma was formerly told by Mahāvīra; thereafter it was preserved by excellent sages and revealed to the world. / Now it has been clearly set down in verses by Vimalasūri; listen now to the sacred meaning of the sūtra, possessing great merit and pure syllables.

Thus ends the section named "Arrangement of the Sūtra" in the Paümacariya.