Paumacariya 31

English (machine translation) 31

Language: English

31.1

The king of Magadha asks the chief of the gaṇas: "Through what act did Daśaratha
attain great fortune? Explain this to me, Blessed One!"

31.2

Then Indrabhūti says: "Śreṇika, listen! King Daśaratha
asked the sage, the refuge of all living beings, about his own series of rebirths.

31.3

When the lion of ascetics was thus asked by the king about his own welfare,
he proceeded to explain his repeated wandering in other lives.

31.4

Then he said: 'Daśaratha, wandering in saṁsāra through false belief,
in the city named Seṇāpura there was [a man] named Bhāvaṇa.

31.5

And his wife was Dīvikā; to her a daughter Uvatthī was born.
She was soiled with false belief and a slanderer of ascetics.

31.6

Having died, that Uvatthī wandered for a long time among the wombs of hell and animals;
through the shedding of karma and gradually through the rise of merit,

31.7

she was born in Aṅgapura as the son of Dharaṇa and Nayaṇasundarī,
with many kinsmen, handsome, named Bhaddavaruṇa.

31.8

Having given pure, acceptable food to a sage with a pure mind, having died,
he was then born in the Uttarakuru of Dhāīsaṇḍa.

31.9

Having enjoyed the pleasure of coupledom, having died, he was born as a supreme god;
descending [thence], in the city of Pukkhalā, to Nandighosa

31.10

and his wife Pṛthvī, a son was born named Nandivardhana.
Then one day the king, Nandighosa, was awakened [to the truth].

31.11

Agitated by fear of saṁsāra, having installed Nandivardhana in the kingdom,
Nandighosa renounced [the world] in the presence of the sage Yaśodhara.

31.12

Having performed noble austerity, he died and was born as a supreme god.
Then the steadfast Nandivardhana practiced the householder's austerities.

31.13

Having enjoyed kingship for a pūrvakoṭi, having died through ritual fasting,
possessing stainless, spotless enlightenment, he became a god in the fifth heaven.

31.14

Descending from there, in Apara-Videha, on Mount Vaitāḍhya,
on the northern upper ridge, [he was born as] the famous king in Śasipura

31.15

named Ratnamālin; and born from the womb of his beloved wife
Vidyullatā was a son named prince Sūraṁjaya.

31.16

Then Ratnamālin set out in war against Siṁhapura with his army,
armored and girded with mail, where [ruled] that Vajravaranayana.

31.17

Mounted on a chariot, intent on burning the enemy's city with the fire-of-wrath vidyā,
as he was going, he was addressed by a god standing in the celestial realm:

31.18

'O King Ratnamālin, do not undertake such great evil!
Listen to my words; I shall tell you of your past connection.

31.19

Here in the Bharata continent, in Gandhāra, was a man named Bhūri.
Seeing the ascetic Kamalagarbha, he took a vow:

31.20

"I will not commit sin again," he said then: "such is my vow."
He acquired a divine life-span of five palyopamas in heaven.

31.21

Right there lived an evil family priest named Upamṛtyu;
by his counsel, Bhūri, having made no further merit, abandoned the vow.

31.22

Slain by a shoulder-[blow], that family priest was born as a noble elephant;
with a body shattered in battle, he attained severe ear-pain.

31.23

Having died right there in Gandhāra, Bhūri was born
as the son of Yojanagandhā named Arihasana.

31.24

Seeing Kamalagarbha and remembering his previous life, he renounced the world;
having died, I was born as a supreme god in Sahasrāra.'

31.25

You were that very Bhūri, who, having died in the Daṇḍaka forest, / was born as Dagakīrtidhara, and then died, burned by a forest fire.

31.26

Through association with evil, you went to the second earth, Śarkarāprabhā; / there, out of affection, having gone into hell, I awakened you.

31.27

From that very hell, emerging in the course of time, / you were born as Ratnamālin, O highly renowned one, a king and lord of Vidyādharas.

31.28

He who was formerly Bhūri was indeed born as you, Ratnamālin; / and he who was the minister Upamanyu is myself, the god.

31.29

Did you not experience sufferings in hell and animal wombs, / that you commit such a misdeed through intense passion and hatred?

31.30

[Hearing] the god’s words, the best of kings, devoted to spiritual urgency, / consecrated the joy of the lineage, the son of Sūrañjaya, to the kingdom.

31.31

Together with Sūrañjaya, the steadfast Ratnamālin took refuge with Ācārya Tilakasundara / and received initiation taught by the Jinas.

31.32

Having performed great austerities, Sūrañjaya went to the Mahāśukra [heaven]; / departing [thence], he was born as the son of Anaraṇya, and you yourself are Daśaratha.

31.33

O king, through small merit in those previous births, / you attained growth, like a banyan seed, through the arising of auspicious karma.

31.34

He who was formerly Nandighoṣa, the father of your Nandivardhana, / that very one am I, who, falling from the Graiveyaka [heavens], was born as the sage Sarvabhūtahita.

31.35

Those two people also who were named Bhūri and Upamanyu / were born here as Janaka and Kanaka, subject to your control.

31.36

And in this terrible saṃsāra, linked through hundreds of thousands of various births, / living beings undergo evolutions and transmigrations through their own karmas.

31.37

Having heard this spoken by the excellent sage, Daśaratha, terrified of existence, / then became desirous of self-restraint that very moment.

31.38

Having bowed with all respect at the feet of the teacher, King Daśaratha / entered his own city, Sāketa, teeming with people and wealth.

31.39

Then he thought in his mind: “Having given the kingdom to Padmanātha, / freed from all attachments, let us seek only the bliss of liberation.

31.40

Steadfast and mighty like Meru, Rāma is capable of protecting / the earth whose girdle is the three oceans, surrounded by his kinsmen.”

31.41

As the bull among kings, averse to kingship, was thus absorbed in reflection, / autumn passed away and winter arrived.

31.42

Overpowered by the winter wind, with chapped lips, hands, and feet, / covered in a blanket of dust, people bore a dull complexion like the moon.

31.43

Men with bent hands and necks, their entire bodies cracked by the cold, / wretched, even with abundant blankets, remembered heaps of fire.

31.44

Their chattering teeth striking like lutes, living on wood and grass, shivering, / overcome by poverty, those devoid of merit passed the time.

31.45

Yet others, staying on palace terraces with the sounds of singing and instruments, / their limbs covered with fine clothes, fragrant with black agallochum incense,

31.46

always ate delicious food served in golden vessels, / their bodies anointed with saffron, with inexhaustible wealth, having performed good deeds.

31.47

Together with young women speaking softly and sweetly, / endowed with excellent, lovely dress and beauty, those who had performed good deeds sported for a long time.

31.48

Through dharma a soul obtains the abundance of diverse pleasures among gods and humans; / through adharma, on the other hand, it incurs suffering in hells and animal states.

31.49

Having thus heard the fruition of karma of all people, the king, / afraid of wandering in saṃsāra, wished to take renunciation.

31.50

Quickly summoned, vassals and ministers assembled; / having made obeisance with their heads, they sat down on noble seats.

31.51

“O lord, give the command! What is to be done?” the warriors said. / And Daśaratha said: “Today we take renunciation.”

31.52

Then the ministers said to him: “O lord, what cause has arisen today, / by which you have resolved to abandon wealth and your entire circle of young women?”

31.53

Then the best of kings said: “It is directly visible to you that the entire world, / worthless like dry grass, is utterly burned by the fire of death.

31.54

It is easily seized by bhavya souls, ungraspable by abhavya souls, / desired by the gods, bringing the bliss of liberation—the dharma.

31.55

Having heard that dharma today in the presence of the sage, filled with spiritual urgency, / I wish to cross over the ocean of worldly existence.

31.56

Consecrate my eldest son, who is capable of protecting the kingdom, / so that I, today at ease, may renounce without obstacle.”

31.57

Hearing this speech, that the best of kings was resolved on renunciation, / warriors, ministers, and the chaplain suddenly plunged into an ocean of sorrow.

31.58

Knowing the lord of men's mind to be resolute and turned toward initiation, / then all the young women of the inner apartments began to weep.

31.59

Seeing his father in such a state, Bharata was awakened in an instant; / he reflected: “The bond of affection is hard to sever in the world of living beings.

31.60

What is to be done with the earth when my father is resolved on renunciation? / He installs his son in the kingdom only for the sake of its protection.

31.61

For what purpose [is attachment] to this transient body close at hand? / What state can there be in distant relatives even more so?

31.62

Alone in this wilderness of existence, crowded with trees of misery, / this soul wanders, blinded by delusion, again and again in that very place.”

31.63

Then Queen Kaikeyī, skilled in all arts, knowing that Bharata was awakened there, / with a heart agitated by sorrow, reflected:

31.64

“Neither my husband nor my son remains; both have become desirous of initiation. / I must think of that means by which I can turn my son back.”

31.65

Then, approached with modesty, the chief queen Kaikeyī said to the king: / “Grant me that boon which was spoken in the presence of the warriors.”

31.66

Then the bull among men said: “Except for initiation, whatever you speak, beloved, / that, O beautiful one, I will fulfill entirely for you today.”

31.67

Hearing this speech, weeping Kaikeyī said to her beloved: / “The firm bond of affection has indeed been severed by you with the sword of detachment.

31.68

This conduct taught by all the supreme Jinas is hard to endure; / how has the intention toward self-restraint arisen today in a single moment?

31.69

O lord, your body was pampered in pleasures equal to those of the king of gods; / how can you conquer the fierce, harsh, and cruel afflictions?”

31.70

Drawing on the ground with her toe, Kaikeyī spoke: / “O lord, give this entire kingdom to my son.”

31.71

Then Daśaratha said: “O beautiful one, this entire kingdom / is given by me to your son; take it, do not delay us!”

31.72

Then Daśaratha quickly summoned his son Padma along with Saumitri; / walking like an ox, he arrived and made obeisance.

31.73

“Child! In the great battle, Kaikeyī served as my charioteer; / pleased, I granted her a boon in the presence of all the kings.

31.74

Then Kaikeyī asked for this entire kingdom for her son. / What indeed should I do, my child? I have fallen into an ocean of sorrow.

31.75

Bharata intends to take ordination, and upon his departure Kaikeyī will die, / and I too, surely, shall become known in the world as a speaker of falsehood.”

31.76

Then Lord Padma said: “Father! Keep your own word; / pleasures are of no account to me if they bring you ill fame in the world.

31.77

A son who has been born, O Lord, should at all times consider what is beneficial, / so that his father does not suffer sorrow even for a single moment.”

31.78

Just as this talk pleasing to the assembly was going on, / Prince Bharata arrived in his father's presence, his mind filled with spiritual urgency.

31.79

And he was told by Daśaratha: “Child, be the support of the kingdom! / Free from attachment, I shall renounce the world with the ordination of the supreme Jinas.”

31.80

He replied: “I have no use for a kingdom; I shall embrace renunciation. / Father, let me not wander in this cycle of existence replete with intense suffering!”

31.81

“Child, experience the happiness that is the essence of human birth! / Then, in your final years, you may take the ordination of the supreme Jinas.”

31.82

Addressed thus again, Bharata [said]: “Father, why do you delude [yourself] in what should not be done? / Death waits for no one, child, elder, or youth.

31.83

Dharma in the household stage is also declared to possess great merit, my son; / therefore, devoted to the householder's dharma, become the master of the entire kingdom.”

31.84

“If a man established in the householder's dharma attains the bliss of liberation, / then why do you, afraid of the cycle of existence, abandon your household?”

31.85

“Leaving behind kin, wealth and grain, mother and father, / experiencing pleasure and pain, the soul wanders alone.”

31.86

Hearing his son's words, Daśaratha, exceedingly pleased, said thus: / “Well done! Exceedingly well done! An eminent bhavya soul has been awakened!

31.87

Even so, my son, you must obey my word with a cheerful mind; / listen to the true state of affairs being told to you in all its truth.

31.88

The boon which I, pleased with her charioteering, gave during the battle, / has today, my son, been requested here by your mother.

31.89

‘Install my son on the throne,’ Queen Kaikeyī told me; / therefore, protect this entire, capable earth!”

31.90

Padma too, taking the prince by the hand, said with affection: / “Rule the kingdom free of thorns and peacefully for a very long time.

31.91

Uphold our father's spotless fame and care for our mother.” / And Bharata replied: “I shall not transgress your command.

31.92

I shall dwell in solitude in the forests, by the rivers, and in the mountains, / so that no one knows me; rule the kingdom for a very long time.”

31.93

Having spoken these words, bowing his head to his father's lotus feet, / Rāma, walking like an excellent elephant, departed from the royal assembly.

31.94

In the meantime, the king fainted and then regained consciousness; / he looked on with unblinking eyes, as though painted in a picture.

31.95

Approaching his own mother, Rāghava made obeisance and took his leave: / “Mother! I am departing on a long journey into exile; forgive me!”

31.96

Hearing this speech, she suddenly fainted, and upon awakening, / weeping, she said to her son: “Child, why do you abandon me?

31.97

Somehow, helpless as I was, I gained you through many desires; / you were to be the support of a son, like an aerial root supporting a branch.

31.98

The earth was given to Bharata by your father for the sake of Kaikeyī's boon; / while I am alive, this prince does not desire to enjoy the earth.

31.99

The king is intent upon ordination, and you too, my son, will go far away; / bereft of husband and son, to what refuge shall I turn here?

31.100

Having established an abode on the crest of Mount Vindhya, / or on the Malaya, or near the ocean, I will surely come to you.”

31.101

Bowing his head to his mother and to the rest of the group of mothers, / Rāma, ready for departure, once again bowed to the king of men.

31.102

He took leave of everyone: the family priests, ministers, kinsmen, and warriors; / he also looked upon the chariots, elephants, and horses with affectionate eyes.

31.103

Taking leave of the people of the four classes, Rāma departed; / Vaidehī also bowed to her father-in-law with the utmost modesty.

31.104

Having made salutation to the feet of all her mothers-in-law, / Sītā took leave of her female companions and departed from there.

31.105

Seeing Rāma setting out on his journey, Lakṣmaṇa became enraged: / “How could father have undertaken such an action fraught with ill fame?

31.106

Here in the world, a kingdom belongs to kings by order of succession; / acting shortsightedly, father has done the very opposite!

31.107

Who can fathom the virtues of Rāma, steadfast and venerable, / whose mind is free of greed, just like an eminent sage's?

31.108

Or else, I will today strip Bharata of the entire burden of kingship; / I will establish Rāma, lord of the earth, upon the throne of his lineage!

31.109

Yet, what is the use of this deliberation and resolve on my part? / For father and my elder brother alone know the true reality.”

31.110

Subduing his anger and bowing to his father with supreme deference, / Saumitri, firm in resolve, took leave of his own mother.

31.111

Having spoken to the servants and taken the excellent bow Vajrāvarta, / filled with deep affection, he joined Padma.

31.112

Accompanied by their father, kinsmen, and hundreds of feudatory chiefs, / they went forth from the royal palace like prince of gods.

31.113

Tormented by grief for their sons, their tears showering the ground, / the mothers somehow made salutation and were turned back.

31.114

Bowing his head, Rāma turned Daśaratha back, / as well as his kinsmen brought up together with him, who were uttering pitiful laments.

31.115

They said to one another: “Though crowded with people, / in Rāma's absence this city appears like the Vindhya forest.”

31.116

The people too, with sorrowful hearts, said: “Blessed is this daughter of Janaka, / an extraordinary woman who goes to a foreign land with Rāma!

31.117

Look: leaving behind this mother whose body is drenched with tears from her eyes, / Prince Lakṣmaṇa has set out along with Rāma!”

31.118

As those princes departed along with the feudatories, / the city of Sākēta became desolate, deprived of all festivals.

31.119

The townspeople did not turn back, even when driven back by the royal guards. / Meanwhile, at the close of day, the sun sank into the west.

31.120

In the middle of the city [they saw] an extensive, delightful Jina temple. / With hair standing on end from delight, extremely pleased, they entered it.

31.121

Having praised and worshipped the Jina images with supreme devotion, / they sat down right there together with the crowd of people.

31.122

Hearing that those noble princes were staying there, / both their mothers came to the Jina temple and embraced their sons.

31.123

Of all purities, purity of mind is indeed the highest in the world: / [a woman] embraces her husband with one disposition, and her son with another.

31.124

Having conferred with their sons, they turned back; / with hearts trembling, they approached their husband.

31.125

Bowing to their husband, they said: “Turn back Rāma, / together with Sītā and Saumitri! O man of great fame, steadfast one, do not be neglectful!”

31.126

Then King Daśaratha said: “Nothing in this world is in my control. / Whatever was ordained in a past [life] for a man, that comes to pass for him.

31.127

Having cast off the burden of the kingdom, turned away from sin, and intent upon self-restraint, / I do not know at what moment I shall embrace renunciation, the conduct of noble sages.”

Thus the king, zealous for the teaching of the Jina, longing for liberation day and night, / awakened happily to truth, a lion against worldly existence, [established] on the pure path of liberation, the abode of bliss.

31.129

Thus ends the thirty-first chapter, entitled “The Arrangement of the Decision for the Renunciation of Daśaratha,” in the Paümacariya.

Linked texts (1)

Paümacariya — Vimalasūri, Māhārāṣṭrī Prakrit