Paumacariya 1

English (machine translation) 1

Language: English

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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;

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

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

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

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

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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;

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

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

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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?

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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?

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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?

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

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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?

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

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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.

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

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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.

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

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

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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.

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

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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.

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

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

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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;

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

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

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

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

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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;

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

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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;

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

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

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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.

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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;

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

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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;

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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;

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

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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;

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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;

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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;

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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;

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

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

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

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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;

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

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

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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;

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

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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;

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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;

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

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

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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;

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

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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;

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

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

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

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

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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;

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

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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;

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

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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;

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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;

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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;

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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;

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

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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;

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

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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;

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

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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;

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

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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.

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

Linked texts (1)

Paümacariya — Vimalasūri, Māhārāṣṭrī Prakrit