The Story of Surasundarī 8

English (machine translation) 8

Language: English

8.1

Then I too, facing the southern direction, set forth together with my beloved, / and I thought: “What will the sky-farer Nabhasvāhana do now?

8.2

Since I have the protection of the god, even though that sky-farer is arrogant with many vidyās, / and even though he has fierce rage, he will not be able to do harm.

8.3

Or what use is there in my pondering this, which is worthless? / Whatever was decreed by my past karmas will happen to me.

8.4

Through the power of the divine jewel and the grace of the god, / what is decreed by destiny will happen, commensurate with the power of merit.”

8.5

While I was walking along, contemplating such varied doubts, / my beloved, her body trembling with fear, said to me:

8.6

“Ah, lord! Someone is seen coming following right behind us, / surrounded by vidyādharas; I think it must be Nabhasvāhana.

8.7

Therefore, beloved, devise some means so that no harm may come to you, / and so that I too do not become one who experiences the heavy grief of separation.”

8.8

Then, turning my neck and looking back, I replied: / “Fair one, why do you bear such heavy dejection for no reason?

8.9

If he were to come unexpectedly, surrounded by a troop of sky-farers, / then fear would be great; but when it is known, fair-limbed one, what fear is there?

8.10

His coming was foretold before your eyes by the god himself; / why then, fair-limbed one, have you become overwhelmed with fear upon seeing him?

8.11

By the power of the god's divine jewel, fair-limbed one, all will be well; / do not despair on seeing him coming.

8.12

No other means can be devised now, / since he is swift-moving and already close at hand.

8.13

Even from afar, one cannot escape from him whose vidyās are mighty; / how much less, fair-limbed one, when we have entered the range of his sight?

8.14

Therefore, beloved, let happen whatever was decreed by my past karmas; / nothing at all is gained in this world of the living by grieving.”

8.15

And when I had spoken thus, shedding a stream of thick tears, / afflicted by heavy fear and sorrow, the young woman spoke again thus:

8.16

“Alas, lord, beloved of my life! Accursed fate made sinful me / for your destruction, like the time of fruit for a bamboo tree!

8.17

Beloved of my heart, if I had abandoned my life at that time, / then why, lord, would you be falling into such a terrible calamity?

8.18

If I had miscarried from the womb, or if I had died in childhood, / then why would this misfortune have befallen you on my account?

8.19

Though sweet at first, this mutual deep love of ours / has become the cause of great disaster, like a pregnancy to a mule.

8.20

And now, lord, relying upon karma, you remain idle; / you do not consider any means to avert the calamity!”

8.21

And then I said, “Fair lady, do not despair in the least! / An act done without forethought turns out like this, does it not, fair one?

8.22

A man who undertakes an enterprise without considering his own strength / and the strength of the enemy inevitably incurs dishonour and loss of life.

8.23

Men abiding by proper policy do not fall into a host of misfortunes; / fair one, what policy did I employ when abducting you?

8.24

We acted against the king, overcome by passion; / therefore, fair one, no grief should be felt now in misfortune.

8.25

Moreover, even though matters stand thus, fair lady, if fate is somehow favourable, / then even our misfortune will transform into good fortune.

8.26

Indeed, this enemy is powerful, and cannot be subdued by human effort; / he can only be fended off by merits acquired in previous births.

8.27

If indeed there is merit, what is the need of human effort, fair one? / And if there is no merit, human effort too is futile.

8.28

On one side is my merit, on the other is this haughty enemy; / let us see then, fair lady: which of the two will have victory?”

8.29

While I was thus conversing with my beloved, raising many such reflections, / O Supratiṣṭha, travelling swiftly, I arrived at this spot;

8.30

and just then, travelling even more swiftly, Nahavāhana reached my presence, / his cheeks flushed red with the heat of fury and wrath.

8.31

And he cried out: “Hey, hey, vilest of Vidyādharas! Where will you flee now, / having committed such a deed forbidden in this world and the next?

8.32

Acting against the king and running away, where will you escape to, sinner? / Fallen into the butcher’s shambles, like a hare you shall perish now!

8.33

Hey, hey! By what strength did you perform such a deed? / Having abducted my wife and fleeing, where will you escape?

8.34

Hey, fool! Who gave you such an unrighteous mind? / Or when fate is angry, does it strike a man with a stick?

8.35

Hey, fool, devoid of merit, setting out on an evil path, breaker of bounds! / Yama has grown angry with you, and so you have acted in this manner.

8.36

Display now the strength by which you performed this deed / against the king; do not say later that you were not warned!

8.37

Here I cut off your head with a sharp crescent-headed arrow; / if you have any courage, be ready for battle!”

8.38

O Supratiṣṭha, having spoken thus with immense rage, / he drew his bow and released an arrow straight at me.

8.39

Then, released from the bow, having approached near me with speed, / as if striking a rock, it turned back instantly in the opposite direction.

8.40

Seeing that, the Vidyādhara was astonished in his heart and slightly alarmed; / remaining still for a moment, he began to speak as follows:

8.41

“Even if somehow, by the power of a base vidyā, my arrow was turned aside, / nevertheless you shall not escape now from the Āgneya and other divine missiles!”

8.42

And saying this, he summoned the divine missiles; / empowering them with mantras, he launched them one by one in turn.

8.43

Indeed, sending forth a shower of rising sparks, enveloped in thousands of flashing flames, / he dispatched the most terrifying Āgneya missile to kill me.

8.44

Yet that too, being powerless to come near me due to the power of the jewel, / swirled about to the side and immediately was extinguished.

8.45

In turn, the Vāruṇa and Vāyavya missiles were dispatched, / and these too, by the power of the jewel, dissolved while still far away from me.

8.46

Then, seeing those unfailing weapons having their power thwarted, / the prince became pale-faced, seized with astonishment.

8.47

Pausing for a single moment, he again spoke thus: / “Hey, vilest of Vidyādharas! Do not feel pride in your own heart,

8.48

thinking, ‘By the power of my mantra, or my vidyā, or an herb, / these divine missiles have had their splendour crushed!’

8.49

For they cannot be destroyed by any mantra or tantra; / rather, hear the reason why you were not slain by them:

8.50

‘This evil-doer is certainly not worthy of an easy death; / therefore, O prince, you must kill him by a painful death!’

8.51

Thus, to instruct me, you were not killed by the divine weapons; / the power of these weapons is certainly not shattered by your vidyās!

8.52

Therefore you shall not escape from me now, fool, even if you enter the netherworld! / Alas, even a peacock is caught on its third flight!

8.53

Hey, vilest of Vidyādharas! Now having fallen into my line of sight, where will you go? / I shall kill you by a painful death, without a doubt!”

8.54

O Supratiṣṭha, having spoken thus with fierce determination, / Nahavāhana then summoned the Nāginī vidyā.

8.55

In an instant [I was] encircled by terrifying serpents possessing virulent poison; / I was bound on all limbs like a passionate soul by karmas.

8.56

Then great agony arose, and with my body thus [bound], / I plummeted from the sky to the earth under the weight of the serpents.

8.57

My limbs agitated with agony, under this tree entangled with creepers, / tightly bound by the host of serpents, I became as if unconscious.

8.58

Seeing my immense calamity, my beloved dear as life, / wretched and exceedingly grieved, weeping with a choked voice [cried]:

8.59

“Ah, noble lord! Beloved! I am the cause of this catastrophe! / Ah, vile sinner that I am, why did I not die then, in the presence of Love?

8.60

Ah, how have you, dearest one, fallen into such dire calamity for my sake? / Ah, noble lord! Now in separation from you I have no life!”

8.61

O Dhanadeva, hearing this speech of the Vidyādhara, / in the meantime this reflection arose in me:

8.62

“The sound of a woman’s lamentation that I had previously heard here / must surely be that of his beloved, Kanakamālā;

8.63

and then the man’s voice that I heard immediately after that / must be the voice of Nahavāhana, his enemy.

8.64

Or rather, what is the use of my pondering this? Let me first listen / to whatever this Cittavega tells of his own story.”

8.65

Having reflected thus, O Dhanadeva, I began to listen / to all of his words. Then he spoke as follows:

8.66

“O Supratiṣṭha, while she was thus lamenting in many ways, stricken with deep grief, / my beloved Kanakamālā was carried off by Nahavāhana.

8.67

And I too, trembling with the unbearable agony caused by the serpents, / tormented by the deep pain of separation from my beloved, while I was lying here—

8.68

O Supratiṣṭha, just then you too arrived at this spot, / and by means of jewel-water you released me!”

8.69

"Therefore, my good sir, you have given me my life, there is no doubt about it; / and by the power of the jewel I was not bitten by the vicious serpents.

8.70

"Otherwise, how could there be life for me, who was overwhelmed by severe pain, / seized by terrible snakes resembling the face of the God of Death?

8.71

"As to what was asked by you, 'By what [cause] have you been / cast into such a great misfortune?'—all of that has now been told."

8.72

[Suppatiṭṭha said:] Thus, O Dhanadeva, having heard the words of that Vidyādhara then, / I considered this in my own mind:

8.73

"Look, men, even wise ones, overcome by passion and greedy for sensual pleasures, / fall into various misfortunes here in saṃsāra!

8.74

"Never mind the other world—in this very world they incur heavy sufferings, / their minds infatuated by passion, not knowing what should and should not be done.

8.75

"For all living beings in this world and the next, fierce attachment alone / is the primary cause of unbearable physical and mental sufferings.

8.76

"Blind with passion, intensely devoted [to desires] in this world hard to obtain, / what misery do living beings suffer here—alas, how could even hell [compare] to it?

8.77

"Tormented by separation from their beloved, committing improper deeds, / like denizens of hell they are always wretched.

8.78

"Infatuated by attachment, living beings suffer beating, binding, and slaughter; / they go to an evil realm of rebirth and endure manifold pains.

8.79

"Attachment is indeed identical with suffering; attachment alone is the cause of all misfortunes; / overcome by attachment, living beings wander in the dreadful ocean of existence.

8.80

"Supreme happiness lasts only as long as passion does not rise in the mind; / alas, into a mind possessed of passion thousands of sufferings enter!"

8.81

Reflecting thus and so forth, O Dhanadeva, I said this: / "O Cittavega! Now let no grief whatsoever be made.

8.82

"Since this saṃsāra is the natural abode of such sufferings, / when misfortune has arrived, one should not despond.

8.83

"For in this saṃsāra, which is full of old age, death, disease, and separation from beloved ones, / suffering arises for living beings as produced by their own karma."

8.84

Then Cittavega said: "Noble sir, I have no other despondency; / a single worry alone creates unbearable suffering in my mind:

8.85

"'How will she, the weeping one carried off by Nabhavāhana, marry [him]? / Seeing such a state of mine, does she live now or not?'

8.86

And while that Vidyādhara was explaining thus to me, noble Dhanadeva, / in the meantime listen to what incident occurred there.

8.87

Suddenly an eminent god, lotus-petal-eyed and broad-chested, / descended there from the sky, illuminating the circle of the directions.

8.88

Seeing him arrive, Cittavega, with a blossoming face, / rose up and bowed to that god with supreme reverence.

8.89

Then that god, seated comfortably, said: "Noble sir, is all well with you? / By the power of the jewel, you have crossed over great misfortune!"

8.90

Then Cittavega said: "By your power, everything is well now; / therefore, tell me now—there is a great curiosity here:

8.91

"'What connection was there between me and you in a previous birth, O god? / Or on what mission had you gone so eagerly at that time?'"

8.92

Then the god said: "For this very purpose I have come, fair-limbed one! / Therefore, becoming single-minded, listen to what is being told:

8.93

"Here in Jambūdvīpa, in Airāvata, in an Āryan country, / there is a city named Vijayavatī, resembling the city of the gods.

8.94

"In it there was a well-known caravan-leader named Dhanabhūti, / endowed with courtesy and compassion, zealous in the Jain Dharma;

8.95

"like the moon an abode of the arts, like an elephant constantly streaming with noble gifts, / pursuing the sun like the day, pleasing to the minds of wise men.

8.96

"And he had a wife endowed with a tranquil form, devoted to her husband, possessed of truthfulness, good conduct, and compassion, / of lovely body, celebrated by the name Sundarī.

8.97

"As they were duly observing the pure Dharma of a lay follower, / filled with devotion to true monks, their days passed by.

8.98

"Then, one day, having been indicated by auspicious dreams, / that Sundarī gave birth to a son endowed with abundant marks of good fortune,

8.99

"surpassing the beauty of the Bodiless One, equal to the sun in splendor, / gentle like the orb of the moon, generating happiness like the Dharma of the Lord of Jinas.

8.100

"Then, when his twelfth day had passed, his parents, / with great joy, duly gave him the name Sudharman.

8.101

"In time, a second son named Dhanavāhana was born to him; / and that one named Sudharman became eight years of age.

8.102

"And one day, wandering [on foot], an ācārya named Saddamsaṇa, / whose feet were served by hundreds of ascetics, arrived in that excellent city;

8.103

"wandering unattached, knower of the fourteen Pūrvas, an abode of virtues, / he halted in the Nandana garden in the north-eastern direction.

8.104

"All the citizens went out to pay homage to the sūri; / Dhanabhūti too set out in devotion along with his sons.

8.105

"Having left his conveyance behind, having arranged his upper garment from afar, / he circumambulated the guru three times and paid homage with supreme devotion.

8.106

"When the guru had imparted the 'acquisition of Dharma'—an excellent vessel for crossing over living beings falling into the dreadful ocean of existence— / and having bowed to the remaining monks,

8.107

"the caravan-leader sat down on the ground together with the townsfolk; / the sūri also began to explain the path of liberation, the Dharma of the Jinas:

8.108

"Moreover, rooted in right faith, with a massive, firm trunk of the five great vows, / adorned with the branches of vigilance, self-restraint, austerity, and discipline,

"having clusters of various religious vows, adorned with charming leaves of the limbs of morality, / budded with the flowers of excellent attainments, bearing the fruit of bliss such as heaven and liberation—

8.110

"the wish-fulfilling tree of right conduct was proclaimed at length by the command of the Jina, / as an incomparable refuge for living beings tormented by the heat of suffering.

8.111

"The senses are fickle and attachment to sense-objects is the cause of suffering; / the passions such as anger are the bonds that lead to an evil realm of rebirth.

8.112

"Negligence committed even once hurls the soul into the ocean of existence." / Thus the dreadful nature of mundane existence was expounded at length to that assembly.

8.113

"Having heard the speech of that sūri, which resembled supreme nectar, / that entire assembly, moved by spiritual urgency, departed just as they had come.

8.114

"Having heard the guru's words, the one named Sudharman, his mind fixed on Dharma, / agitated by fear of saṃsāra, bowed to the sūri and spoke thus:

8.115

"'Under you I wish to take blameless, excellent initiation, / having been permitted by my parents, being afraid of old age, birth, and death.'

8.116

"Then it was said by the guru: 'May there be no obstacle for you in this matter!' / Then, released by his mother and father, he was initiated by the guru.

8.117

"Having practiced the two kinds of training, zealous in observing self-restraint, penance, and modesty, / he duly began to study at the feet of the guru."

8.118

Possessing great intellect, he quickly came to understand the scriptures, their meaning, and both kinds of conduct; / knowing the fourteen Pūrvas, respected by his guru and the sādhus, he was an abode of many virtues.

8.119

Recognizing his fitness, he was consecrated in his own rank under an auspicious asterism by the sūri; / the sūri, too, having mortified his body, went to liberation.

8.120

Surrounded by a host of monks, Sūri Sudharman wandered through various regions, / awakening worthy people in towns, villages, and cities.

8.121

Ghanavāhana, too, growing up by degrees, attended by five foster-mothers, / reached boyhood and likewise studied the multitude of arts.

8.122

And he attained youth, capable of stealing the hearts of wanton women; / and on his account his father chose a maiden endowed with exquisite beauty:

8.123

In the city of Śrīpratiṣṭha, an excellent maiden named Anaṅgavatī, / daughter of the noble merchant Haridatta, born of Vinayavatī.

8.124

With great splendor she was wedded under an auspicious astrological conjunction; / then she was brought by Ghanavāhana to his own city.

8.125

Then, enamored of her youth, excellent form, and tenderness, / deeply attached to sensory pleasures, he did not even notice time passing.

8.126

Now, at another time, the noble monk Sudharman, wandering about, arrived there / at the city of Vijayavatī at the beginning of the rainy season.

8.127

A lodging was sought there by the sādhus; then it was given / by the caravan-leader Dhanabhūti, purely kept, in the carriage-houses.

8.128

Together with his attendants, the caravan-leader came into the guru's presence; / endowed with the sāmāyika and other practices, filled with spiritual urgency, he listened to the Jina's Dharma.

8.129

Ghanavāhana, however, his mind attached entirely to the pleasure of intercourse with his beloved, / though urged firmly by his father, would not go to pay homage to the guru in any way.

8.130

Then, seeing his younger brother attached to sensory pleasures, filled with intense passion, indifferent to the practice of Dharma, / and neglecting all other duties, the guru

8.131

entertained this thought: “My wretched brother is deluded by passion, / his mind alienated from the words of the Jina, attached to the objects of the senses.

8.132

Having obtained human birth, which is so difficult to attain, he, destitute of Dharma, / will go to hell and into terrible animal wombs.

8.133

By some means I shall awaken him who is deluded by passion.” / Thinking thus, the brother was summoned by the guru.

8.134

With great reluctance he came, and having paid homage to the sūri, / he sat down before him; then the sūri began to speak:

8.135

“Having attained human birth after many matter-transmigrations, / do not lose it in vain, dear brother, deluded by the bait of sensory pleasures!

8.136

Beings firmly attached to sense objects bind inauspicious karmas; / under their sway they wander in saṃsāra in lowest wombs.

8.137

Slaughter, bondage, killing, and the like—various kinds of unbearable torments in the hells / do those greedy for sense objects suffer for a long time.

8.138

Let alone the next world, in this very world they obtain severe sorrows— / many embodied beings devoted to sense pleasures, with unsubdued senses.

8.139

Leaving his own herd, bound by the touch of sweet copulation with a female elephant, / trapped in a pitfall by means of touch, the elephant goes to destruction.

8.140

Greedy for the sense of taste, pierced by a hook, the fish is killed; / attached to the sense of smell, even the serpent meets the sorrow of death.

8.141

Seeing a lamp-flame that illuminates every quarter, even the moth, / eager to grasp it, meets death indeed through the fault of the eye.

8.142

Enamored of a sweet sound, with both ears raised and motionless, / the deer dies by the hunter's arrow through the fault of the sense of hearing.

8.143

Subject to only a single sense, all these have met destruction; / what destiny, then, can there be for men who are subject to all five senses?

8.144

Therefore, being subject to the five senses, do not, dear brother, having indulged in sensory pleasure, / go into dreadful hell, deprived of the acquisition of Dharma!

8.145

Let your mind be set upon Dharma, abandoning sensory pleasure now; / make fruitful, handsome one, this human birth that is exceedingly difficult to attain!”

8.146

Hearing this speech of the guru, Ghanavāhana spoke as follows: / “I desire to heed your words, but listen to what I have to say:

8.147

Full of extreme love, the poor girl cannot bear separation even for a moment, / my beloved Anaṅgavatī; therefore I cannot leave her.

8.148

Even coming to pay homage to you is impossible for me on that account; / in separation from me that poor girl would indeed suffer distress even now.”

8.149

Thereupon the guru said: “For the sake of women whose minds are fickle, / what sensible man, dear brother, would ruin his own self?

8.150

Attached to women whose minds are as fickle as flags shaken by the wind, / he who is negligent toward Dharma is a vile man, not a good man.

8.151

Moreover, full of poison within, charming in appearance in outward conduct, / women are by their very nature like guñjā berries.

8.152

Devoid of truth, compassion, and purity, bent on improper deeds, rich only in rashness, / mothers of danger—who indeed that is sensible would find delight in them?

8.153

When impassioned, they steal one's wealth; when disaffected, they steal even one's life; / whether in passion or in aversion, wicked young women are terrifying.

8.154

They think one thing in the mind, look at another, and unite with yet another; / who indeed could be dear to those of fickle minds?

8.155

They kill a husband for the sake of a paramour; and him too, alas, for another; / they place trust in yet another, and never reveal their true nature.

8.156

What need of saying much? They who would kill even their own son— / who indeed could be dear to those fickle women?

8.157

Therefore, dear brother, for the sake of such women, whose hearts are fickle as the flash of lightning, / who in this world would become slack in Dharma?”

8.158

Hearing this speech of the guru, Ghanavāhana smiled and said: / “Other young women may be of such wicked conduct;

8.159

my woman, however, is guileless, devoted to her husband, endowed with truth, virtue, and compassion, / affectionate, well-mannered, constant in love, and devoted to her elders.

8.160

How could she be similar to other women of impure conduct? / A great difference between iron and a divine steed is seen in the world.”

8.161

Then the guru said: “Even if your woman is charming, / nonetheless, when enjoyed, she is a pathway to the city of hell.

8.162

Just as kimpāka fruits, when eaten, bring misery in this world, / even so the pleasure of union with women, though charming, leads to an evil destiny.

8.163

Just as food mixed with poison, though delicious, destroys life when eaten, / even so a woman, though beautiful, when enjoyed, surely brings an evil destiny.

8.164

Therefore abandon passion for your beloved, the cause of an evil destiny; / endowed with the five great vows, be devoted to right conduct!”

8.165

Day after day, being awakened with sweet words productive of spiritual urgency, / his passion then became somewhat diminished.

8.166

On another day, in private, folding his hands before the guru, / that Ghanavāhana, deeply filled with spiritual urgency, spoke thus:

8.167

"Even having heard your words that are like nectar, why cannot / the passion [be extracted] from my heart, like the poison of a wicked snake?

8.168

Blessed One, my passion toward my beloved is not broken at all. / Yet I will do one thing, if it seems proper to you:

8.169

Having no thirst for sexual pleasure, I will take initiation at your feet / together with my beloved, content merely with seeing her.

8.170

Since matters stand thus, if it is fitting, then give me initiation. / Without seeing her, I cannot preserve my life."

8.171

Hearing his words, Sudharmasūri thought thus: / "Look, how passion, having such disastrous endings, sports in the world!

8.172

Even so, let initiation be given. Then, having grasped the meaning of the scriptures, / endowed with discernment, he will himself abandon the bond of passion."

8.173

Having reflected thus, the guru then initiated Ghanavāhana / according to rule, together with his wife Anaṅgavatī.

8.174

She too was entrusted to the head nun named Candrayaśas; / staying in the midst of the community of nuns, she learned the noble practice of a nun.

8.175

And so, even after a long time, the passion between the two of them was not broken, / even though they were experts in the meaning of the scriptures.

8.176

Then the guru spoke in private with sweet speech: / "This is not proper now for you, who are noble beings.

8.177

In the scripture of the lord of Jinas, a heavy expiation has been declared / even for a monk looking with passion upon a non-vowed young woman.

8.178

Moreover, gentle one, a monk's gaze with passion directed toward a nun / has been described in the doctrine as the cause of immense disaster.

8.179

When even casting one's gaze upon other women is not proper, / how much less toward a nun, which is the root of the seed of non-enlightenment?

8.180

Therefore, abandon lack of discernment, push away passion with your mind, / and entirely avoid this improper conduct of gaze!"

8.181

Thus addressed by the guru, he too, filled with spiritual urgency, reflected thus: / "Oh, shame, shame on me, devoid of discernment, overwhelmed by excessive passion!

8.182

That I, shameless, even while abiding in the state free of passion, / do not abandon the passion that is blameworthy among holy people.

8.183

Even having attained blameless renunciation, bound by wicked passion, / I shall become bereft of merit and a partaker of long saṃsāra.

8.184

Alas, O sinful soul! You will wander for a long time among hell-beings and animals, / having passion directed toward an improper object, even having attained the blameless Dharma!"

8.185

Even as the monk Ghanavāhana reflected thus, his passion toward her / did not diminish, nor did hers toward him.

8.186

Thus time passed for both of them, intent on practicing self-restraint, austerity, and discipline, / and devoted to fulfilling the guru's command.

8.187

Then, one day, accompanied by sister Vasumatī, / Anaṅgavatī went out from the latrine ground.

8.188

And by them was seen a madman accompanied by a woman, / his limbs grey with dust and dirt, covered in old rags and torn cloths,

8.189

singing loudly in many ways, dancing, surrounded by a crowd of children. / Seeing him, Anaṅgavatī looked at that pair for a long time.

8.190

Then she said, "Noble lady, this young woman standing near / the possessed man resembles our sister Sulocanā!"

8.191

And Vasumatī, having gazed closely for a long time, said with sorrow: / "Truly, this is our sister named Sulocanā.

8.192

Formerly, she was married by Subandhu in the city of Meghalāvatī; / then she was once seen by Prince Kanakaratha.

8.193

She was placed into the inner apartment by him, whose heart was stolen by overwhelming passion; / then she became his beloved, foremost of all the harem.

8.194

All this event occurred directly before my eyes while I was living at my in-laws' house, / and you too, noble lady, have heard it from public gossip.

8.195

This possessed man appears similar to the prince; / therefore, this is Kanakaratha, and she is surely Sulocanā."

8.196

Anaṅgavatī said, "Let us speak to our sister; / does she recognize us, or is she bewildered?"

8.197

Then both went and, even though she was addressed sweetly, / she did not understand anything clearly and spoke much nonsense.

8.198

Then both persons were brought with sorrow to the feet of Sudharmasūri / by those noble ladies filled with compassion.

8.199

The guru was addressed by the noble ladies: "This is our elder sister. / Blessed One, what has happened to her, or how has she become mad?"

8.200

Then the guru, having understood the ultimate truth through knowledge, said: / "Truly, she is Sulocanā, and this is Crown Prince Kanakaratha.

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Surasuṃdarīcariya — Dhaneśvara, Māhārāṣṭrī Prakrit