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JAINISM ate him up completely. The death was met, however, with perfect calm. He was reborn in the thirteenth heaven as its Indra, the supreme king of gods.
The future savior remained up there for twenty oceans of years, far aloft among the heavenly mansions, yet always restrained himself like a true Jaina, practicing moral acts with uninterrupted concentration. His detachment from the senses and their pleasures had matured to such a degree that he could withstand even the temptation of the most subtle heavenly delights. He worshiped the Tirthankaras, who were still far above him, and gave example to the gods of the light of the true faith. He was, indecd, more like their spiritual teacher and savior than their king. And so it was evident that he was now prepared to enact the supreme role of a savior of gods and men. Only once again should he ever descend to carth; this time for that final incarnation which was to mark the culmination of his progress through the round of birth and death.
It is recorded that the Indra of the Hall Sudharma (the cclestial storcy nearest the carth) addressed Kubera, the lord of goblins, who controls all the treasures of jewels and precious stones hidden in the mountains: "The Indra of the thirteenth heaven, high above me, soon will descend to earth and become incarnate as the son of the king of Benares. He will be the twenty-third Tîrtharkara of India. Be pleased, therefore, to rain down the Five Wonders on the kingdom of Benares and on the pious monarch and the faithful queen who are to become the parents of the Tīrthankara."
Thus was announced the beginning of that incarnation (in the main perhaps historical) which we considered briefly at the opening of our present chapter. Kubera, the goblin king, prepared to execute the command, and as a result of his activities there came down from the sky every day, during the six months preceding the descent of the savior Pārsvanātha to the womb of the queen, no less than thirty-five millions of diamond-pieces,
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| SR No. | 007309 |
| Book Title | Philosophies of India |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Heinrich Zimmer, Joseph Campbell |
| Publisher | Routledge and Kegan Paul Ltd |
| Publication Year | 1953 |
| Total Pages | 709 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 34 MB |