The Story of Surasundarī 15

English (machine translation) 15

Language: English

15.1

Now, that Ambarīṣa demon who killed the ascetics, delighted in mind,
always took immense satisfaction in tormenting the denizens of hell.

15.2

Having bound sinful karma, falling from there, he was conceived in the womb of an impoverished outcaste woman;
through her taking various bitter and alkaline drinks,

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his body was destroyed, and having experienced wrathful meditation, dying into hell,
he was reborn in the first earth with a lifespan of seven palyopamas.

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Having experienced intense suffering, at the exhaustion of his lifespan, having passed away from there,
he was born here in Bharata as a brāhmaṇa's son named Durgata.

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Afflicted by the misery of poverty, having taken the initiation of wandering mendicants
and practiced ignorant austerities, filled with intense rage, he died from there.

15.6

And he became a great king named Kālabāṇa belonging to Dharaṇendra,
with a lifespan of slightly more than a palyopama, endowed with divine great supernatural powers.

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There too, having remembered the enmity, passion-ridden, he applied mental focus
with perverse clairvoyance in order to know the whereabouts of both of them.

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Because his knowledge did not reach that far, although he repeatedly applied his mental focus,
those two residing in the second heaven were not seen by him there.

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Thus time passed, O king. Then, having enjoyed divine pleasures
for the remainder of his life—a little less than eight palyopamas—

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that god Vibhuprabha, residing in the Īśāna heaven, fell from there
and was born as your son in the womb of Queen Kamalāvatī.

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To fulfill her pregnancy-longing, wandering in the city mounted on an elephant
in the seventh month, O best of men, this Queen Kamalāvatī—

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Meanwhile, applying his supernormal perception, he was seen by Kālabāṇa, / who was filled with rage upon seeing his former enemy resting in the womb.

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Approaching swiftly, he suddenly possessed the elephant; / routing the people, he made it dash forward at great speed.

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When you dismounted by catching hold of a banyan tree's branch, O best of men! / the elephant, possessed by that very one, flew up into the sky.

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"Stricken by the blow of the queen's jewel-adorned hand, having dropped the elephant, / my enemy, fallen from the sky along with his mother, will die!"

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Thinking thus, O best of men, having accomplished his aim, that god went to his abode. / The queen too, mounted on the elephant, fell from the sky onto the shore of a lake.

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And having dismounted, she met the caravan leader Śrīdatta from there; / she set out together with the caravan toward the city of Kusāgra, O lord of men!

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When the caravan was raided, the queen fell into the forest there; / her son was born, and was seen by the god applying his supernormal perception.

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Then once again, remembering the enmity, that cruel-natured god, / overcome with terrible wrath, swiftly arrived beside the queen.

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"Though looking intently for a long time, O villain, you have finally been seen! / I shall bring an end to our enmity—now experience the fruit of your misdeeds!"

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Speaking thus, O best of men, from the lap of the sleeping Kamalāvatī / that son of yours was abducted by the god Kālabāṇa.

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And having seized that infant, the god, with defiled thoughts, pondered: / "Crushing this enemy with my hands, I will kill him right now.

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Shall I cut him into pieces and make an offering to the directions? Or else / shall I smash him against a rock, or should I cut him into sesame-sized bits?

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Or rather, if that is done, there would be no long-lasting agony / through instant death for this infant of unmanifest mind.

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Therefore, having gone to some desolate place, I shall abandon him; / overcome by thirst and hunger, he will die by himself in agony."

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Having resolved thus, he abandoned him on a lonely rock slab of Mount Vaitāḍhya; / that son of yours, O best of men! And the god too reached his own abode.

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O best of men! Let that be; meanwhile I shall relate another story: / Falling from Īśāna heaven, Vidyutprabha [was born] here on Mount Vaitāḍhya.

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In the delightful, excellent city of Ratnasañcaya on the southern ridge, / he was born to Bakulavatī as the son of the Vidyādhara Pavanagati,

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named Cittavega. Meanwhile, the goddess Candrarekhā too, / having fallen, was born in the city of Śrīkuñjarāvarta.

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To the beloved wife of the Vidyādhara Amitagati, Citramālā, / she became an exceedingly dear daughter, named Kanakamālā.

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And meanwhile, he who was previously mentioned as the uncle of Sulōcanā and the others, / named Vasudatta—he too, having wandered through saṃsāra,

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was born on Mount Vaitāḍhya in Gaṅgāvarta / as the son of Madanāvalī and the Vidyādhara king Śrīgandhavāhana,

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named Nabhavāhana. Then that Kanakamālā was chosen [for him], / but Cittavega abducted her through trickery and married her.

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That Vidyādhara was bound by Nabhavāhana with the Nāgiṇī spell; / and weeping, Kanakamālā too was brought to his own city.

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He desired to sport with her, who had attained a different state of existence and was unwilling— / behold, O best of men! Even with his sister, through the fault of ignorance!

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Thus, O best of men, in this saṃsāra, by living beings blinded by ignorance, / even a sister is craved, or a daughter, a daughter-in-law, or a mother.

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A sister also becomes a wife, a father too a son, a daughter too a mother; / where even a wife is a mother—fie upon dwelling in saṃsāra!

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And this, O best of men, was formerly explained to you by Dhanadeva himself. / Suddenly, she was brought back again to Cittavega by a god,

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together with manifold magic spells; then he became a Vidyādhara sovereign; / together with his beloved, he enjoyed worldly pleasures there on Mount Vaitāḍhya.

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The god Candrārjuna too, having fallen, was born on the northern ridge / in the city of Caramacañcā, named Cittagati.

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And the goddess Candraprabhā became Priyaṅgumañjarī; / she became his wife, and together with her he enjoyed human pleasures.

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And to him the northern ridge was given, together with magic spells, by Cittavega / out of abundant affection; thus they lived on Mount Vaitāḍhya.

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Owing to the habituation of a previous birth, for those two endowed with deep affection, / much time passed as they enjoyed worldly pleasures.

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Then once upon a time, accompanied by his beloved Kanakamālā, / that Vidyādhara Cittavega set out to worship at Mount Aṣṭāpada.

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Having reverently worshipped the images of the Jinas made by King Bharata there, / upon returning, he saw that child there,

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illuminating the bower of the Vaitāḍhya forest with the radiance of his own body, / adorned with a ring tied around his neck, a delight to the eyes.

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Seeing that jewel set in the ring, he was astonished, / and said: "My dear! That is the divine jewel given by the eminent god,

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through whose power I did not die then, even though encircled by serpents! / So by whom was this tied around the neck of this child?

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Or rather, surely it was tied by his mother as a protective charm as soon as he was born; / and then, abducted by someone, he was abandoned here.

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Therefore take him, my dear! Childless as you are, let this one be your son! / Surely it must be that very celestial soul who has been born here."

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Taking him, O lord of men, both reached their own city; / having performed the birth-celebrations, they announced to all the people:

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"Now a son has been born to Kanakamālā, whose pregnancy had been kept secret." / At the proper time, his name was given as Makaraketu.

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Thus your son grew up in the mansion of the Vidyādhara king, O lord of men! / Meanwhile, his goddess Svayaṁprabhā, falling from heaven,

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was born as this Surasundarī, O great king! / Then, growing up by degrees, she too attained youth.

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The Vidyādhara by whom she was abducted then and taken to the Ratna Island / was her father Haridatta in the birth as Sulōcanā.

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Behold thus the monstrous nature of worldly existence, a mine of suffering, O lord of men! / where a father desires to enjoy pleasures with his own daughter.

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Assuming the form of a piśāca, by that very god Kālabāṇa / his magic spells were taken away and your son was cast into the ocean.

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And while he, filled with malicious intent, abducted Surasundarī / through the sky, just then, O best of men, his time of falling arrived.

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And when he fell, she dropped from the sky here into the park; / but your son reached the ship of Dhanadeva.

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When the shipwreck occurred, having obtained a wooden plank in the midst of the ocean, / he was seen by Priyamvada, and then taken by him to his own place.

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"That which you asked has thus been declared, O lord of kings! / But he will surely meet you this very day at eventide."

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Hearing the sūri's words, the king and Queen Surasundarī / attained great joy, and the entire assembly felt spiritual urgency.

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Then the king said, "Until the reunion with my son, / I shall practice austerity in your presence to make my human birth fruitful."

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In the meantime, Dhanadeva bowed down and asked the teacher Supratiṣṭha: / "Back then, when the settlement was destroyed in the fierce battle,

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and the Bhīla warriors were slain and scattered by Kanakavatī's army, / what happened to you, or how did you attain the state of a monk?"

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The teacher said: "Listen: fighting on the battlefield back then, / my body pierced by a shower of arrows, I fell to the ground.

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Seen by Cittavega who had arrived in that place, / that Vidyādhara, full of affection, carried me away to Vaitāḍhya.

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Instantly, through the power of herbs, he healed my wounds; / and remembering my past favour, he gave me an excellent vidyā.

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Named Prajñapti, it was mastered by me there according to rule; / thereafter, accompanied by Vidyādharas, I came to Siddhārthapura.

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Having expelled Surabhi together with Kanakavatī from the country, / I then became king in Siddhārthapura, O Dhanadeva!

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Having protected the kingdom for several tens of millions of years, / and having consecrated my own son Jayasena in the realm,

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at the feet of the omniscient one Ghanavāhana, seized with intense spiritual urgency, / I went forth as an ascetic together with five hundred noble princes.

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Having mastered the conduct of a sādhu, I gradually became a knower of the twelve aṅgas; / then the omniscient one Ghanavāhana consecrated me in the post of sūri.

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And having practiced śaileśī meditation and destroyed the remaining four karmas, / that teacher of ours attained nirvāṇa, O worthy Dhanadeva!"

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While Supratiṣṭhasūri was thus recounting his own story, / a Vidyādhara descended from the sky.

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Having bowed to the sūri, he said with humble devotion: / "I have come from Vaitāḍhya to bring you joyous news:

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Having mastered all the vidyās, your son named Makaraketu / has been consecrated in his own rank by Cittavega, who intends to take monastic vows.

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Accompanied by a multitude of Vidyādharas, he will come to worship your feet / right here in this city, this very day: thus I announce what is pleasing to you."

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Hearing his words, his hair bristling with joy, / the king gave him the ornament from his own body and abundant wealth.

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Rejoicing, the queen performed the auspicious wave-offering for the Vidyādhara, / and Surasundarī attained joy that could not be contained in her limbs.

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Having bowed to the sūri, the king entered the city with his retinue; / then he commanded the city-guards: "Clean the city at once!

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Quickly removing the garbage, clear all the streets; / sprinkle them with water mingled with musk and saffron!

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Prepare flawless flower-offerings mixed with fresh red lotuses; / create splendid beauty in the main markets that covers the sky!

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At every house, fasten festoons of diverse forms; / decorate the rows of white mansions with various colours!

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Set golden pitchers filled with pure water at the doorways; / raise manifold banners at the doors of the palaces!

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Erect platforms with excellent flower-garlands along this path, / and paint swastikas with yellow pigment, white mustard, and dūrvā grass!

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Perform and have the citizens perform other such things!" / Commanded thus by the king, they began doing so with special diligence.

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While servants were moving to and fro amid the great bustle, / Priyamvadā quickly arrived at the king's inner apartments.

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Seen by Surasundarī, she was embraced with limbs filled with joy; / seated on an offered seat, she was then asked about previous events.

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Priyamvadā said: "First you were carried off by that / Vetāla, and I fell fainting to the ground.

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Then, after a moment, when the faint passed, burning with grief, / [I cried:] 'Alas, where has my sister gone? Why has that brother not returned?'

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Reflecting, 'Surely that Piśāca must have done something awful,' / and thinking such thoughts, I then began searching.

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Then, having wandered all around that Ratnadvīpa, moving through the sky, / I roamed over the salt ocean, looking for you in many directions.

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Clinging to a wooden plank in the middle of the sea, his body tossed / by the surge of waves, my brother Makaraketu was seen.

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Having lifted him up, I then brought him to a Jina temple; / and being asked, 'How did you fall into the middle of the ocean?', he

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related the whole story: the sight of the Vetāla, the cutting off of his vidyā, and the rest; / and then he also asked me: 'Where is Surasundarī?'

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I also told him: 'Brother, she too was abducted by one in the form of a Piśāca.' / Hearing this, as if struck by a heavy club, he suddenly fainted.

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Though restored by the Vidyādharas standing nearby through cool breezes and the like in many ways, / the prince kept fainting again and again.

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Then the Vidyādharas went and related the matter to our father; / hearing that, weighed down with great sorrow, father too came there.

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Having consoled him with great difficulty, he took the prince to Mount Vaitāḍhya; / then many Vidyādhara youths were commanded by father:

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'Roaming through the villages, mines, and cities across the six parts of Bharata, / quickly bring news of Surasundarī exactly as it is!'

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Having spoken thus, many Vidyādharas were sent out by father; / and the prince too was diverted by friends at father's command.

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While some days passed for the prince afflicted with grief at the separation from his beloved, / meanwhile, on another day in that city,

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a cāraṇa monk possessing four kinds of knowledge and versed in the twelve aṅgas, / Damaghoṣa by name, arrived at the Sahasramravana grove.

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To pay homage to him, father went out together with the prince; / having paid homage, he sat on the ground together with his retinue.

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Resembling a ship that ferries one across the vast ocean of saṃsāra, / the flawless Dharma began to be expounded by the monk to them:

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"By those who desire the destruction of bodily and mental sufferings, / the gift of fearlessness must be given to living beings through mind, speech, and body.

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Those living beings easily cross over saṃsāra full of the sufferings of old age and death / who always speak true and blameless speech.

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Poverty, sickness, old age, death, sorrow, and the calamities of separation from beloved ones / do not befall those living beings who do not take what is not given.

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Those souls who avoid unchastity with the activities of mind, speech, and body, / with all karmas shaken off, go to the eternal abode.

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Those who never hold possessions, except for the requisites of Dharma, / having crossed the ocean of worldly existence, go to the abode free of old age and death.

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When the monk's Dharma, taught by the supreme Jina, was explained thus by the śramaṇa, / knowing the proper occasion, the prince asked the monk this:

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"Reverend sir! Why was the destruction of my spell performed by that god?" / Then the monk too explained the reason for the enmity to him in full.

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Hearing that monk's words, as he reflected and reasoned, / prince Makaraketu suddenly attained recollection of his past births.

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Remembering his past birth, the prince said: "It is just so! / But reverend sir, having abducted her, where did he release Surasundarī?"

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Then the monk said: "From the hands of that falling god / she dropped down from the sky and fell into the Kusumākara garden.

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O prince, she is now staying in Hastināpura / beside your mother Kamalāvatī." Thereupon the prince spoke:

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"Is he not my father, just as Kanakamālā is my mother?" / Then the monk related the events beginning with his abduction by the god.

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Then King Citravega, his mind inspired by the monk's words, said: / "O prince, do you not remember what you told me back then in the state of being a god?

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'Abducted by a god who was an enemy from a past birth, / you will grow up in the house of Citravega, lord of the Vidyādharas'?

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That has come to pass. Therefore, my son, master those spells / once more! Cast off sorrow, so that I may install you in my own position.

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Having abandoned the attachment to sense-objects, our minds agitated by wandering in saṃsāra, / we now wish to take the blameless renunciation."

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Thus, O Surasundarī, while his father was speaking, suddenly / Dharaṇendra arrived there to pay homage to Damaghoṣa.

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Beholding Makaraketu, gazing intently at him for a long time, he spoke: / "O prince, do you know? I was your father in a past birth.

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My name was Bhīmaratha, and you were born from Kusumāvalī, / my exceedingly dear son named Kanakaratha.

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When madness arose and you departed together with your wife, / although you were searched for skillfully, you were not found.

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Then, having installed your younger brother Vajraratha on the throne, / my mind filled with spiritual urgency, I took initiation in the presence of the guru.

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Having undertaken renunciation, I became an eminent god in Saudharma / with a life span of seven palyopamas. Then, falling from there, here in Bharata,

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in the excellent city of Campā, I was born as a boy / in the womb of Kusumaśrī, the wife of King Dadhivāhana.

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I was born at the proper time, and my name was made Prabhaṅkara. / Meanwhile, my father, addicted to intoxicating drink, was slain.

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The minister Vimala, desiring the kingdom, seized the realm himself. / Terrified, my mother fled, taking me when I was three months old.

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She reached Vijayapura, to the presence of her brother, King Śaṅkha. / When I attained youth, I went there together with Śaṅkha.

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Having waged war and slain Vimala in the midst of battle, / I then became king in my own realm in Campā.

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The sons of Vimala also fled, and going to the city of Hastiśīrṣa, / they set about serving the king named Jitaśatru.

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Proud of my strength, I used to sport there with elephants; / because of that, my renown spread through all lands:

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'There is no one equal to Prabhaṅkara, possessed of mighty strength, here in the realm of Bharata, / who holds an enraged rogue elephant with a single arm!'

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Having ruled the kingdom there in Campā for a long time, / awakened in the presence of a good guru, I installed my own son on the throne.

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Then I became a śramaṇa. In the presence of the guru I took such a vow: / 'For the rest of my life, I must take food only every other month.'

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Then once, while wandering, I arrived at Hastiśīrṣa. / On the day of breaking the fast, I entered the city there for alms.

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Then, charged by a furious bull, I fell to the ground. / Again and again I was laughed at by the sons of Vimala of evil deeds:

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'Where is that strength now, you who took delight only in contending with lordly elephants?' / Speaking thus, they all rushed up at that time to slay me.

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Remembering their feud with my father, they arrived with sticks and stones in hand. / Seeing them, I too, enraged through the fault of ignorance,

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seized a pillar and rushed forward, saying thus: / 'Ha, ha! Can a lion's strength be broken by jackals?

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Even if my body is emaciated, still I cannot be overcome by you! So turn / to face me for a single moment, so that I may send you on the path of your father!'

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Having made them bitten by the earth, out of repentance I undertook fasting; / but out of shame I did not confess that evil deed to the venerable elders.

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Therefore, without having repented, my conduct broken, I died, O prince! / I was born as Dharaṇendra; now that same one has come here.

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Therefore, do not despair: let the spells beginning with Prajñapti, / granted by me to you, be accomplished even without being practiced!"

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Hearing his words, saying "A great favor!", / the prince, lovely with his lotus-like hands folded, fell at Dharaṇendra's feet.

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Accorded great honor by his father together with the multitude of Vidyādharas, / Dharaṇendra, accompanied by his retinue, returned to his own abode.

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Together with the Vidyādharas, with great magnificence, Citravega / as well as Citragati consecrated the prince in his own position.

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Then he became an emperor of the Vidyādharas on Mount Vaitāḍhya; / thereupon all the Vidyādharas gave him their own daughters.

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Then Makaraketu said: "I will not marry other maidens / as long as the daughter of King Naravāhana is not married."

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Then Bhānuvega said: "Going now to the city of Kuśāgra / and requesting [her from] Naravāhana, I will choose Surasundarī for you."

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Then Makaraketu said: "Do so quickly! We too, / taking my father's permission, will go to Hastināpura.

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We shall bow to the pair of feet of our parents whom we have not seen before." / When this was said, Bhānuvega flew up through the sky.

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Then King Makaraketu was told by his father: "My son, this very day, / at eventide, at an auspicious hour and astrological moment,

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let the sight of your parents be accomplished." When this was said, / the host of all the Vidyādharas immediately began preparations for the departure.

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"Meanwhile, taking leave of my father, I swiftly came / to your side, O Surasundarī, in order to tell you the news."

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Having heard these words of Priyamvadā, the maidservants went / and reported it to the king; then the king, overjoyed,

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causing great excitement with the sound of musical instruments accompanying excellent songs, / with dances of excellent women, and with various amusements performed,

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set forth from the city mounted on a fine elephant, with a fourfold army, / in all his splendor, to receive his son.

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Meanwhile, the Vidyādhara army, indeed, appeared in the path of the sky, / filled with banners, parasols, and emblems, mounted on diverse vehicles.

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In the midst of it was an aerial car with a throng of Vidyādharas flying in front, / endowed with jeweled pillars and adorned with wonderful, excellent statues.

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Seeing the king before him, the Vidyādhara lord Makaraketu quickly / descended from the sky and fell at his father's feet.

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Then King Amaraketu, embracing his son with affection, / shedding tears of joy, kissed him on the head.

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After speaking with all fittingly and honoring the excellent Vidyādharas, / he entered the city, praised by hundreds of bards.

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The auspicious rites having been performed, the king led him into his own palace; / to the remaining Vidyādharas, excellent dwellings were given as was proper.

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Accompanied by a few Vidyādharas, he was led to the inner quarters by the king; / eager to see his son, he fell at his mother's feet.

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Taking him with tender hands, she placed him on her lap, / embraced him repeatedly, and kissed him on the head.

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Shedding tears of joy, she said: "O son, / your mother's heart must be made of diamond, since it lives on in separation from you!"

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Then Makaraketu said: "O mother, what can be done against the diverse sports of fate? / Since we are subject to others, such sorrow arises."

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Placing him there on a flawless throne inlaid with the luster of gems and jewels / inside a square drawn with very thick pearls,

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auspicious rites were then performed for her son seated there / by the queen, whose hair was bristling with joy at the reunion with her son.

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At that time, there was an indescribable joy for them at the reunion with their son, / which cannot anywhere be compared to the joy of liberation.

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Meanwhile, the Vidyādhara Bhānuvega went to Kusāggapura / and related the entire news to King Naravāhana.

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Naravāhana said: "For this reason she was well guarded; / though they begged for her previously, she was not given to other kings.

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Indeed, on the day of her birth it was prophesied by those endowed with divine knowledge: / 'This maiden will become the wife of a Vidyādhara emperor.'

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Since he gave me life when I was besieged on the Śatruñjaya mountain, / Surasundarī has been given to him by me; what question is there now?"

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He summoned the astrologer and said: "Determine and declare to us / the day and auspicious moment for the wedding, free of all faults."

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He too said: "O best of men! On the third day from today, / in the last watch of the night, is an extremely auspicious moment.

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Another moment endowed with such qualities cannot be found quickly." / Then the king said: "This is very near; how here

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can all the preparations for holding the wedding be made? / Therefore, O Bhānuvega, endure this and tell me: what means can be employed here?"

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Then he replied: "O king, let us go to Hastināpura; / when we have arrived there, everything will indeed be fine."

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Then, in a divine aerial car created by Bhānuvega, accompanied by his retinue, / taking all the wedding equipment suitable for the occasion,

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he arrived in Hastināpura. Meanwhile, Cittagaï and Cittavega, / accompanied by a throng of Vidyādharas, having learned the news, also arrived.

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Then King Amaraketu, having extended full hospitality to them, / had wedding provisions prepared, equipped with much food and drink.

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When the auspicious day arrived, according to the rites handed down in their lineage, / with the citizens rejoicing and endowed with dancing maidens,

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filling the horizon with the deep sound of sounding musical instruments, / their wedding ceremony then took place with great splendor.

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The Vidyādharas were honored by the king with appropriate hospitality, / great gifts were bestowed, and the citizens were fed.

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In all the Jina temples, celebrations were held with supreme reverence; / great worship was paid to the images of the Jinas with garments and other offerings.

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With excellent garments, alms-bowls, blankets, food, and other gifts, / the community of ascetics, pure from all encumbrance, was also honored with supreme devotion.

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Elephants, horses, excellent chariots, villages, mines, towns, cities, and the like / were given there by the king to his feudatories as was fitting.

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Then on another day, the king, with great splendor, accompanied by his retinue / and accompanied by the Vidyādharas, set forth to pay homage to the sūri.

15.194

Having bowed to the sūri and to all the remaining ascetics, / they sat down; then the Dharma taught by the Jina was expounded by the master.

15.195

Then, having bowed to the sūri, Queen Kamalāvatī said this: / "Reverend sir, what sin was committed by me in another life,

15.196

by force of which this most unbearable sorrow caused by separation from my son was suffered?" / Then the omniscient one said: "O beloved of the gods, listen!

15.197

The merchant Ammaḍa in Avarakaṅkā, who was previously described by me, / the father of Maṇḍana and the others, accompanied by his wife Acchuttā—

15.198

he, wandering through a series of births, in the Maru country in the village of Harisaūya, / was born as an outcaste named Ajjuṇa, right here in Bharata.

15.199

Acchuttā too, wandering through births of various forms after that, / was born as the wife of Ajjuṇa, named Bandhusirī.

15.200

Engaged in agricultural work with mutual affection, time passed for them, / both being compassionate and having by nature slight passions.

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Linked texts (1)

Surasuṃdarīcariya — Dhaneśvara, Māhārāṣṭrī Prakrit