The Story of Surasundarī 13
English (machine translation) 13
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- English
13.1
Then Haṃsikā said: "Alas! You have endured something exceedingly hard to bear,
upon hearing which even now great distress arises [in me].
13.2
You were not worthy of such griefs, dear friend!
Yet what can one do against fate, whose workings are strange in this world?
13.3
Indeed, even one ever accustomed to happiness it turns into an abode of diverse griefs;
even one who has never seen separation from a loved one it separates from the beloved.
13.4
Therefore, O Surasundarī, knowing the capriciousness of fate,
do not feel even the least distress; for what is the use of doing so?
13.5
Moreover, from the marks that are seen upon your body,
you are destined to become the chief queen of a king of Vidyādharas.
13.6
Furthermore, I too heard this being recounted before Queen Kamalāvatī
by a man who arrived from the city of Kuśāgra:
13.7
When the city was besieged by King Śatruñjaya, and the people were thrown into turmoil,
and King Naravāhana together with his feudatories was filled with doubt;
13.8
when the city folk were reduced to misery through lack of grass and firewood,
and the ramparts were collapsing, struck by huge boulders hurled by siege-engines;
13.9
when breaches were falling, dug open by pickaxes stationed in shelters,
and the sky was covered with innumerable arrows shot from the mouths of bows;
13.10
as the city of Kuśāgra was thus mired in the mud of blood from falling warriors,
suddenly a certain Vidyādhara arrived, brandishing a sword.
13.11
With his sword, his eyes red and flashing with rage,
he swiftly cut off the head of Śatruñjaya mounted upon his lordly elephant.
13.12
Having slain that enemy, he approached King Naravāhana
and said: 'Your enemy has been slain, O lord of men!
13.13
I have come here at the word of your daughter Surasundarī,
who was abducted by a Vidyādhara and remains on the island of Ratnadvīpa.
13.14
I am a Vidyādhara named Makaraketu, son of the illustrious Citravega;
your daughter remains in happiness beside Priyaṃvadā.'
13.15
Having spoken thus, he departed. And the delighted king sallied forth with his army
while the enemy's host was routed and struck down;
13.16
he seized their elephants, chariots, horses, and all the choicest wealth.
Therefore, O Surasundarī, dear friend, do not worry about that matter!
13.17
Since your father was thus rendered fearless by your beloved alone,
what can a Piśāca do to him who has mastered a new Vidyā?
13.18
Some other reason must have arisen for your beloved,
and on that account, dear friend, he did not come quickly to that island."
13.19
Consolled by these and other clever words, the king's daughter
was freed from the rush of deep sorrow and became filled with joy.
13.20
Then Haṃsikā went and related everything to Queen Kamalāvatī,
and she in turn reported everything just as it happened to the king.
13.21
While Surasundarī thus dwelt in the house of her father's sister,
causing boundless joy to the ladies of the inner apartments,
13.22
as several days passed in happiness, one day,
while the king was in the inner assembly accompanied by a few trusted men,
13.23
and accompanied by the queen together with Surasundarī,
with permission of the doorkeeper, a merchant exceedingly dear to the king,
13.24
named Dhanadeva, arrived carrying a platter filled with glittering jewels,
and having made his obeisance, sat down before the king.
13.25
When he had presented his tribute, he was spoken to by the king with great excitement:
'Hail, O Dhanadeva! You had gone to the island of Siṃhala;'
13.26
"Then how indeed did you return so quickly? Did some misfortune befall the ship, / or did some obstacle arise, on account of which you have returned here within merely a month?"
13.27
"You departed for that island of Siṃhala, which takes many days to reach; / that you have returned so swiftly is a great wonder."
13.28
Dhanadeva said: "Listen, O best of kings, to the story, / of how I went there and quickly returned here to the city.
13.29
Encouraged by merchants who had arrived from the island of Siṃhala, / I then set out, taking various kinds of merchandise suitable for that place.
13.30
Bowing to both of your feet, accompanied by a caravan of many carts, / I reached that vast harbor named Gambhīra.
13.31
Moreover, I—making ready the ship, which was filled with sailors / and whose royal road was adorned with heaps of betel nuts, coconuts, and other goods—
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Where in some places [the shore] shone adorned with rows of elephant tusks, like the face of an elephant king, / and in other places, stocked with camphor, aloe, and sandalwood, resembled the mountain of the gods;
13.33
Where in some places the ground was adorned with pearl necklaces, like the summit of a white lotus [mountain], / and in other places it was filled with nutmeg and cardamom, like the mouth of a lover;
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Where every direction was blocked by the immense tolls from people gathered from diverse lands, / and where vast merchandise was entering—I saw that harbor, resembling the palace of a king.
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Having paid the appropriate toll, the goods were brought to the seashore, / and a broad ship, capable of traveling over the lord of rivers [the ocean], was hired.
13.36
Gradually all the merchandise was loaded into the ship. / Then, on an auspicious lunar day and lunar mansion, after the lord of rivers had been worshipped according to the rite,
13.37
Having performed the worship of the lord of Jinas, given gifts to the community of monks, / taken leave of my circle of friends, and addressed my entire entourage,
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While auspicious sounds were being made and the noise of musical instruments resounded, / and while crowds of bards uttered cries of 'Victory! Victory!',
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I boarded that ship, which was like an eminent monk: / having broad sails [like great forbearance], immovable, its collection of planks fastened by an abundance of ropes [like virtues bound to monastic rules], and self-restrained in all its movements [like restrained in actions].
13.40
Then, as the deep tide arrived, / propelled by the white sails filled with wind, it set out to go.
13.41
Streams of water surged from the threshing of the tails of delighted fishes, / and it was terrifying with flashing submarine mountain ridges submerged under torrents of water;
13.42
Crowds of sea lizards were being swallowed by sea serpents who were attacked by fierce alligators, / and whirlpools were stirred up by the rising of schools of timiṅgila fish;
13.43
A terrifying roar arose from creatures overturned by the whirlpools, / and its waters were fearful with aquatic monsters roaming about, bewildered by the force of that roar;
13.44
Its high waves filled the circle of directions with the deep and thunderous roar of the fierce waters, / and swarms of fish were crushed against sea serpents lurking among sparkling coral reefs.
13.45
Moreover:
13.46
Devouring many creatures, struck by a multitude of great disasters, / and lacking a footing [or shore], the ocean was like a wicked man.
13.47
With darting fish and alligators, its edges enclosed by flashing dense darkness, / without reachable boundary borders, it was like the sky on a dark night.
13.48
While that vessel was proceeding swiftly across such an ocean, / through its very midst for several yojanas, O king,
13.49
Then, on another day, the pilot seated atop the mast / shouted: 'Look at this wonder, men!
13.50
Who indeed is this noble one, with an undaunted face, resembling the lord of the gods in form, / who is crossing this boundless ocean with his arms alone?'
13.51
Hearing his words, O king, skilled young boatmen / were dispatched by me toward his side, boarding a small skiff.
13.52
Going there, they said to that man: 'Good sir, climb in here! / We have been sent to your side by the merchant Dhanadeva.'
13.53
Thus spoken to, he boarded and then arrived at our ship; / and, O best of men, I beheld that fortunate young man.
13.54
He surpassed the beauty of the bodiless god [Kāma]; he was exceedingly gentle like the spotless full moon; / fair as touchstone gold, with youthful facial hair newly sprouting.
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Why say more? O best of kings, he resembled you! / When we gazed upon him, our eyes were as if bathed in nectar.
13.56
[I thought:] 'Ah, this noble one resembles Makaraketu! / Could he then be the one who back then, when [the queen] had fallen into the forest,
13.57
Was snatched right from Queen Kamalāvatī's lap / as soon as he was born, by some deity of unseen form bearing past enmity?
13.58
Or else, what is the use of my pondering this? First I will ask: / Who is he, where is he from, and how did he fall into the midst of the ocean?'
13.59
Having reflected thus, I had him bathed, rubbed with ointments, and so forth / with supreme respect, and fed him with utmost deference.
13.60
Seated on a comfortable seat, he was asked: 'How indeed, steadfast one, did you fall into this terrible / ocean, or where is your dwelling place?'
13.61
Then he said: 'Listen, Dhanadeva, to what is being spoken, / with a concentrated mind, if you have curiosity about this matter.
13.62
In the city of Rayaṇasañcaya on the southern range of Vaitāḍhya, / there is the son of the Vidyādhara Pavanagati, born from the womb of Bakulāvatī,
13.63
The renowned emperor of the Vidyādharas named Citravega. / His wife is Kanakamālā, daughter of the Vidyādhara Amitagati.
13.64
And I am her son, beloved to her heart, named Makaraketu. / Growing up in due course, I attained first youth.
13.65
Now, there is a city on the northern range of Vaitāḍhya / named Camaracañcā, adorned with groves of trees of all seasons.
13.66
There ruled an eminent Vidyādhara king named Citragati, son of the Vidyādhara Bhānugati. / He is my father's friend, and I too am very dear to him.
13.67
Then on another occasion, when I had arrived at the city of Camaracañcā, / out of affection Citragati gave me the Rohiṇī spell.
13.68
Remaining there, that spell was mastered by me in seven months, / according to the prescribed rite, by me who was fearless despite terrors.
13.69
Having then accomplished the spell, I returned to my own city; / with a heart filled with supreme joy, my father proclaimed in the midst of the Vidyādharas:
13.70
'Behold how, even though a boy, with an unperturbed mind / my son has mastered the Rohiṇī spell, formidable though its form is!
13.71
Thinking, "This boy is not yet capable of mastering spells," / the spells were not given to him by us out of that concern.
13.72
Therefore, if he has first mastered this [Rohiṇī], though formidable in form, / what reckoning can there be of his accomplishment of other spells as well?'
13.73
Then on an auspicious day, having performed an eight-day great festival / with joy before the Jina images standing in the eternal shrine,
13.74
Declaring, 'May your attainment be equal [to mine],' all the spells were given to me, / and every auspicious rite regarding them was also taught by my father."
13.75
"Going to Ratnadvīpa, inlaid with gems radiant with flashing rays, / to the charming temple of the first Jina built by eminent Vidyādharas,
13.76
and there in that auspicious, solitary place, in various pavilions / glittering with nets of beams, suitable for Vidyādharas intent on accomplishing Vidyās,
13.77
accomplish the multitude of Vidyās, accompanied by a small retinue of dear attendants, / having performed worship and praise of the Jina, setting aside all other activity.
13.78
Within an area of a yojana, injury to five-sensed beings / caused by one’s own or another’s actions must be carefully avoided.
13.79
For if it happens even through negligence, an obstacle will arise." / Having spoken thus, my father gave me a ring:
13.80
"Tie this too upon your hand; it wards off the onset of every blemish, / O son!" Having spoken thus, he sent me off together with attendants.
13.81
Going to Ratnadvīpa, I began according to rule to accomplish / the Vidyās of manifold forms, led by Bahurūpiṇī.
13.82
Moreover:
13.83
Bahurūpā, Prajñapti, Gaurī, Gāndhārī, Mohana, Utpatinī, / Ākarṣaṇī, Unmocanī, Uccāṭanī, and Vaśīkaraṇī—
13.84
as I was accomplishing many kinds of Vidyās such as these, / six months passed, less a few days.
13.85
In the meantime, in the final watch of the night, just at its close, / the earth trembled vehemently, as if [shaken] by the elephants of the quarters.
13.86
The sky blazed, a vast host of spirits seemed to laugh, / the mountains seemed to groan, and a shower of stones seemed to rain down.
13.87
Immediately thereafter, a gentle, sweetly scented breeze blew, / and divine scented water fell there in sparse drops.
13.88
A divine shower of flowers in five colors fell on all sides; / then [the Vidyās] manifested, adorned with diverse ornaments,
13.89
marked with their respective names by manifold distinctive signs, / mounted on wonderful, noble vehicles, attired in various garments,
13.90
shining with diverse complexions and splendid forms, like manifold lovely maidens; / and they spoke: "We, your Vidyās, are accomplished!"
13.91
Hearing their words, with a delighted heart I performed worship / and offered oblations to each of them as was appropriate.
13.92
Learning of the accomplishment of the Vidyās, accompanied by a great host of warriors, / carrying various kinds of musical instruments, singing, instrumental music, and dances,
13.93
and taking articles of worship for an eight-day festival, / my father also arrived there from Mount Vaitāḍhya.
13.94
Having performed a great celebration with devotion in the temple of the first Jina, / he properly and carefully worshipped the host of Vidyās.
13.95
Having bathed the images of the lordly Jinas with pure, holy pilgrimage-waters, / that Vidyādhara gave great gifts [of charity].
13.96
Having worshipped the venerable and honored the host of venerable persons, / he held an eight-day festival accompanied by excellent singing, dancing, and music,
13.97
which filled the ends of the directions with the great sound of clear patahas, bherīs, bhambhās, and dundubhis, / and drew crowds of sky-goers with the spectacle of beautiful Vidyādhara maidens,
13.98
which was crowded with assemblies of Vidyādharas singing praises of the spotless virtues of the Jina, / and delighted the multitude of people with the sweet sounds of playing flutes and vīṇās,
13.99
producing wonder in the minds of gods and kinnaras who came to watch; / and having performed that charming, sin-destroying night vigil in the temple of the Jina,
13.100
my father went to Mount Vaitāḍhya along with his entire retinue, / while I remained right there, having remaining duties to perform.
13.101
Having performed worship of the Jina and made obeisance to the Jina according to rule, / when the sun rose I went out to attend to bodily needs.
13.102
Having attended to bodily needs and purified myself in a long pool at leisure, / as I walked a short distance across the ground, I saw:
13.103
near a bamboo bower, an excellent sword lying on the ground; / picking it up, with lightning swiftness that bower was severed.
13.104
Inside it had previously entered a Vidyādhara named Makaraketu, / the lord of Gaṅgāvarta and son of King Ghanavāhana.
13.105
When the bower was cut down, his severed head was suddenly seen resting on the earth, / gushing a stream of blood.
13.106
Seeing that, with wide, restless eyes rolling in alarm, / I lamented in many ways: "Alas! Ah! An evil deed has been done!"
13.107
"Alas! Through negligence, this injury was done by me! / Will some obstacle arise from this for ill-fated me?
13.108
Or rather, since the Vidyās are accomplished, no obstacle can arise; / nevertheless, for the overcoming of obstacles it is proper that I perform recitations, worship, and the like."
13.109
Thinking thus, I moved on. Then my right eye twitched; / wondering, "What good omen does this portend for me?"—
13.110
as I went just a few steps in that dense forest, O Dhanadeva, / I saw, on the ground beneath a kimpāka tree,
13.111
a young woman, as if asleep or unconscious, radiant with intense bodily beauty, / like an unprecedented Fortune of her lineage, fashioned as it were of nectar.
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Moreover: her noble head, covered by a mass of long, black, extremely soft locks / that attracted swarms of bees, looked like a lotus.
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Adorned with eyes reaching to her ears and a straight, prominent nose, / her lovely moon-like face seemed to mock the incomplete moon.
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Her delicate neck, shaped like a conch and free from rough contacts, / mocked lotus stalks burdened with sharp thorns.
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Her pair of plump, elevated breasts clad in coarse bark, captivating the minds of all people— / how could they be compared to the twin frontal globes of Indra's elephant?
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"May the god of love burn furiously your pair of breasts devoid of discrimination! / For you, whose eyes reach to your ears, this is not proper!"
13.117
Saying thus, as it were, that maiden's waist was slender; / or rather, instruction given to ill-mannered people only produces insignificance.
13.118
With the worry, "How shall I bear this heavy load of breasts?" / her waist was slender, like the father of a poor daughter.
13.119
Her charming, very deep navel with its clockwise whirl / was fashioned by the Creator like a bathing well for the god of love.
13.120
With her fleshy, tender, expansive hips, / at the mere sight of them she made the heart of youth level [with passion].
13.121
Her pair of thighs, tender as the core of a plantain tree, shone charmingly, / as if the Creator had set up an archway at the door of Love’s abode.
13.122
Her pair of feet, high-arched like a tortoise shell, endowed with compact, soft, fleshy toes / and tinged with red—tell me, whose heart would they not steal?
13.123
Suddenly seeing her thus, my eyes rejoiced greatly, / and there arose in my heart a joy as if upon seeing someone long familiar.
13.124
Then, like a beloved wife, she was observed by me—motionless,
foam pouring from her mouth, a girl whose complexion had turned dark-blue.
13.125
Having inserted my own finger, as I inspected her mouth,
just then a half-chewed kimpāka fruit was found.
13.126
"Indeed, from the effect of this fruit she has become unconscious.
Therefore, taking her to my own abode, I shall perform medical treatment on her.
13.127
Could she be the daughter of some vidyādhara who has arrived here?
Out of some despair, I think, she has eaten a poisonous fruit.
13.128
Since this Ratnadvīpa is extremely difficult of access for humans walking the earth,
how could she be the daughter of an earth-dweller?
13.129
From such attire, it is certain that she is a maiden;
moreover, since my eye is throbbing, she will become my wife.
13.130
Even after seeing various vidyādhara maidens,
no love ever arose in me before as it has arisen upon seeing her.
13.131
Therefore, she of slender form is surely fated to be my beloved."
Reflecting thus, taking her into the embrace of his own arms,
13.132
his body thrilled with joy by the delight of touching her tender, enchanting form,
he arrived at his own dwelling near the temple of the First Jina.
13.133
Now, my sister Priyamvadā, the daughter of a different mother, was there;
the previously stated matter was related to her, and then she was told:
13.134
"Together with pure water, quickly hand over that ring
which was given [to you] by father at the time of bestowing the magic science;
13.135
that which is set with a divine gem, which removes the spread of all defects,
and has proven efficacy, especially against venomous poisons."
13.136
Making her drink its water and likewise sprinkling her limbs,
[he] was addressed by Priyamvadā: "She is my sister!"
13.137
I said: "How then? Have you seen her anywhere before?"
Priyamvadā said: "My mother's younger sister
13.138
is Ratnavatī in Kusāgra, the beloved of King Naravāhana;
this is her daughter, a maiden named Surasundarī.
13.139
Formerly, as I was coming from the Vaitāḍhya to this island,
exhausted, I descended into a garden outside the city of Kusāgrapura.
13.140
And she was seen there; and there my magic incantation was forgotten,
[but] it was recovered the moment it was taught by this clever girl.
13.141
Likewise, upon seeing your form painted on a picture canvas,
a deep love arose in her, augmenting a lovesick frenzy.
13.142
Moreover, she rejoiced, saying: 'He is exceedingly handsome!'; she worried in many ways: 'May he become my beloved!';
she sighed, saying: 'If only there could be even a glimpse of him, I would be fulfilled!'
13.143
'If indeed I am of any worth at all, then bliss must surely be brought about
for my sister through union with him!' Having said this, I arrived here."
13.144
While Priyamvadā was thus recounting her past story,
just then, from the subsiding of the poison's force, her consciousness was regained.
13.145
Leaving her, who had regained consciousness and whose body was unharmed, in the presence of Priyamvadā,
I went to worship Ṛṣabha for the sake of conquering obstacles.
13.146
Having performed the worship of the lord of Jinas and rendered homage to the Jina according to rule,
and likewise having recited the mantra of the goddess Śānti, I sat in intent contemplation.
13.147
Having recited her hymn of praise and performed kāyotsarga with [mindful] respiration,
for the purpose of warding off the obstacle of the vidyādharas' assault,
13.148
by the time I returned once more to Priyamvadā's side,
her cheek-surfaces were bathed in streams of tears brought on by grief.
13.149
She was seen weeping; and Priyamvadā was then asked by me:
"Why is this lotus-eyed one crying, as if burned by deep sorrow?"
13.150
She said: "For her sake, her father remains besieged
by a formidable enemy; therefore she weeps in sorrow."
13.151
Then I said to her: "While this servant is at your command,
who, O beautiful one, can defeat your father?
13.152
Sword Vasunanda in hand, all alone,
I shall go and slay that wicked Śatruñjaya! What need for many words?
13.153
Right here in the temple of the First Jina, together with Priyamvadā,
you must remain comfortably, free from grief,
13.154
while I go to kill the wicked Śatruñjaya."
Having spoken thus, he flew up into the sky dark as a tamāla leaf.
13.155
And he reached Kusāgrapura, whose immense ramparts were blocked by fierce warriors,
terrifying with stones hurled from numerous mechanical engines inside.
13.156
Banners were erected on the bastions; battlements were packed with groups of śataghnīs;
and the haughty array of fierce warriors thundered with swelling, loud tumult.
13.157
Then, staying in the sky, driven by curiosity, as I began to watch,
just then the army of Mālava arose to smash the city.
13.158
Moreover: "Give me my tight armor! Give me a fine shield!"—
such shouts of warriors were heard in Śatruñjaya's army.
13.159
"Let the wheeled assault mantlets approach! Let the engines operate! Let the scaling ladder move forward!
Now let the ladder be fixed to the rampart; let the mobile shelter advance!"
13.160
"Burn their wooden covers! Cast copious stones into the moats!
Dig with the bastion-breakers!"—so says Śatruñjaya.
13.161
Crushed by heavy stones, and with flaming firebrands accompanied by piles of straw,
the mobile shelters were set ablaze by the warriors standing within the battlements.
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Pierced by lance-points by the king's warriors stationed on ladders placed against the ramparts,
the enemy men fall into the moats.
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The array of assault mantlets is shattered by the mass of stones flung from the bastion engines,
even when held in the hands of warriors terrified by the catastrophe.
13.164
Pierced by arrows released by archers stationed on the rampart flanks,
turned back in wild confusion, armored [soldiers] perish.
13.165
The heads of warriors creeping along the base of the rampart, afflicted by razor-blades,
are made into hundreds of fragments by volleys of śataghnī missiles.
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Even the scaling shelters that have not reached the rampart
are burned with oil-soaked, fearsome, blazing heaps of heavy wood.
13.167
Covered by the arrows of armored archers positioned between the battlements,
the army of the enemy, whose ranks were shattered, was rendered immobile.
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Meanwhile, the host of numerous tributary kings and champions, rising up under the sway of fury,
reassured their own army and advanced toward the rampart.
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Pierced by arrows from fierce bows adorned with formidable sinews,
the rampart bore horripilation, as if it had taken the side of the city.
13.170
Then, the moats having been filled by the enemy warriors with long bamboos,
and the edge set ablaze, the entire defensive cover was consumed by fire.
13.171
Delighted at the collapsing rampart crest struck by engine stones,
the enemy force became noisy with a clamor arising from vehement excitement.
13.172
Then even the rampart towers fell, firmly constructed with heavy, broad stones, / being battered and shattered by war-machines and mines.
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Thus, seeing the enemy army suddenly defeat the city's warriors, / I bit my lip in fury, drew my curved sword,
13.174
and approached Śatruñjaya, who was seated upon an elephant; / and I said to him: 'Hey, hey! At long last you are seen today,
13.175
you who humiliate the father of my beloved, though he did you no wrong! / Truly, at the time of its destruction, the shoot of a bamboo bears fruit.
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Be a man now, if you truly bear the title of warrior!' / Seizing him by his hair, I immediately severed his head.
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Then, seeing their lord beheaded, the enemy army became terrified; / turning around, they began to strike at me with volleys of arrows.
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Then, having carefully avoided that rain of exceedingly sharp arrows, / I reached the assembly-hall of the grief-stricken Naravāhana.
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Placing Śatruñjaya's head before him and bowing down, / O Dhanadeva, I recounted to him the earlier events,
13.180
'Therefore, remain without anxiety, while I go to Ratnadvīpa / so that, having fetched your daughter, I may quickly surrender her [to you].'
13.181
Having spoken thus, eager to see the face of my beloved, as soon as I flew up / and reached this region, suddenly I saw:
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A vetāla whose thighs were as tall as palmyra trees, whose body was black as a crucible of ink or a buffalo, / whose arms were unjointed and dangling, whose teeth protruded, whose lower lip hung down,
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whose eyes blazed like fireflies, who possessed a lolling pair of twin tongues, / whose nose was excessively flat and snubbed, producing terrifying fear,
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striking [his arms] repeatedly, roaring aloud with boisterous laughter, / making the vault of the sky echo with sounds like the clouds of doomsday:
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'Hey, hey! The sorrow you gave me then by carrying off my beloved— / I will now put an end to that enmity! I have found you; where will you go?
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Hey enemy! In your childhood you somehow escaped alive; / but now you will not escape, cast into the dreadful ocean!'
13.187
Having spoken thus, that vetāla suddenly disappeared; / and I too fell crashing from the sky into the ocean.
13.188
As that spell of flying through the air would not take effect despite repeated muttering, / I knew then: 'Surely my spells have been stripped away.'
13.189
Thinking, 'Surely this powerful enemy is some asura,' / O Dhanadeva, I then began to cross the ocean with my arms.
13.190
O king, while he was thus relating to me his own account, / just then the helmsman spoke thus in terror:
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'Ho sailors! Along with the steersmen, be prepared! / For a dreadful portent is seen, like the mouth of the god of death.
13.192
Look, a tiny cloud no bigger than a winnowing basket has arisen in the path of the sky, / which, growing rapidly, brings destruction like association with the wicked.
13.193
Arising in such a place, this exceedingly terrible portent / will soon bring destruction to the boat with its warriors and sailors!'
13.194
Hearing this speech from the man standing at the top of the mast, / the company of men aboard the ship became agitated, having lost hope of life.
13.195
Then:
13.196
The array of anchors was released, the mast was tilted, / and the entire ship was covered over with a thick white canvas.
13.197
Meanwhile, the sky was covered over with masses of dark clouds; / the ocean was agitated, and a fierce wind began to blow.
13.198
Flashes of lightning gleamed continuously all around like the tongue of Yama; / and the clouds thundered dreadfully like the warriors of death.
13.199
Driven by the speed of the ocean's waves stirred up by the harsh gale, the ship was swept along, / even though held back by the group of anchors cast down into the great billows.
13.200
Rising and falling with the ceaseless waves, it moved, / playing the role of a ball struck by the hand upon a paved floor.
First 200 of 254 passages. Read on
Linked texts (1)
- Surasuṃdarīcariya — Dhaneśvara, Māhārāṣṭrī Prakrit