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[Note: The Life of king Nami and his Bodhi is told in the commentary. The Pr膩k峁泃 text of this romance is printed in my 鈥淎usgew盲hlte Erz盲hlungen in M膩h膩r膩峁ａ弓r墨鈥�, Leipzig, 1886, p. 41 ff. Nami is one of the four simultaneous Pratyekabuddhas, i.e. one of those saints who reach the highest stage of knowledge by an effort of their own, not through regular instruction and religious discipline. The Pratyekabuddhas or Svaya峁僺a峁僢uddhas (Sahasambuddha in Pr膩k峁泃) do not, however, propagate the true Law, as the T墨rthakaras do. As the legend of Nami is not materially connected with our text, I need not give an abstract of it here.]

After (Nami) had descended from the world of the gods, and had been born as a man, he put an end to the influence of delusion, and remembered his former birth. (1)

Remembering his former birth, king Nami became a Svaya峁僺a峁僢uddha in the true Law, and placing his son on the throne he retired from the world. (2)

After having enjoyed, in the company of the beautiful ladies of his seraglio, excellent pleasures which match those of the heavens, king Nami became enlightened and gave up his pleasures. (3)

Having given up the town and country of Mithil膩, his army, seraglio, and all his retinue, the venerable man retired from the world and resorted to a lonely place. (4)

When the royal Seer Nami retired from the world, at the occasion of his Pravrajy膩 there was an uproar in Mithil膩. (5)

To the royal Seer who had reached the excellent stage of Pravrajy膩, 艢akra in the guise of a Br膩hma峁嘺 addressed the following words: (6)

鈥榃hy is now Mithil膩^[1] full of uproar? Dreadful noises are heard from palaces and houses.鈥� (7)

On hearing this, the royal Seer Nami, pursuing his reasons and arguments, answered the king of the gods thus: (8)

'In Mithil膩 is the sacred^[2] tree Manorama, full of leaves, flowers, and fruits, which sheds a cool shadow; this tree is always a favourite resort of many (birds). (9)

鈥楴ow, as this sacred tree Manorama is shaken by the storm, the birds, suffering, destitute of refuge, and miserable, scream aloud.鈥� (10)

On hearing this, the king of gods, pursuing his reasons and arguments, answered the royal Seer Nami thus: (11)

鈥淭his is fire and storm, your palace is on fire! Reverend sir, why do you not look after your seraglio?鈥� (12)

Nami answered (see verse 8): (13)

'Happy are we, happy live we who call nothing our own; when Mithil膩 is on fire, nothing is burned that belongs to me. (14)

To a monk who has left his sons and wives, and who has ceased to act, nothing pleasant can occur, nor anything unpleasant. (15)

鈥楾here is much happiness for the sage, for the houseless monk, who is free from all ties, and knows himself to be single and unconnected (with the rest of the world).鈥� (16)

Indra answered (see verse 11): (17)

鈥淓rect a wall, gates, and battlements; dig a moat; construct 艣ataghn墨s^[3]: then you will be^[4] a K峁�attriya.鈥� (18)

Nami answered (see verse 8): (19)

鈥楳aking Faith his fortress, Penance and Self-control the bolt (of its gate), Patience its strong wall, so that guarded in three ways^[5] it is impregnable; making Zeal his bow, its string Carefulness in walking (iriy膩), and its top (where the string is fastened) Content, he should bend (this bow) with Truth, piercing with the arrow, Penance, (the foe鈥檚) mail, Karman--(in this way) a sage will be the victor in battle and get rid of the Sa峁僺膩ra.鈥� (20-22)

Indra answered (see verse 11): (23)

鈥淏uild palaces, excellent houses^[6], and turrets; thus you will be a K峁�attriya.鈥� (24)

Nami answered (see verse 8): (25)

鈥楬e who builds his house on the road, will certainly get into trouble; wherever he wants to go, there he may take up his lodgings.鈥� (26)

Indra answered (see verse 11): (27)

鈥淧unishing thieves and robbers, cut-purses and burglars, you should establish public safety; thus you will be a K峁�attriya.鈥� (28)

Nami answered (see verse 8): (29)

鈥楳en frequently apply punishment wrongly: the innocent are put in prison, and the perpetrator of the crime is set at liberty.鈥� (30)

Indra answered (see verse 11): (31)

鈥淥 king, bring into subjection all princes who do not acknowledge you; thus you will be a true K峁�attriya.鈥� (32)

Nami answered (see verse 8): (33)

鈥楾hough a man should conquer thousands and thousands of valiant (foes), greater will be his victory if he conquers nobody but himself. (34)

鈥楩ight with your Self; why fight with external foes? He who conquers himself through himself, will obtain happiness. (35)

'The five senses, anger, pride, delusion, and greed

鈥攄ifficult to conquer is one鈥檚 self; but when that is conquered, everything is conquered^[7].' (36)

Indra answered (see verse 11): (37)

鈥淥ffer great sacrifices, feed 艢rama峁嘺s and Br膩hma峁嘺s, give alms, enjoy yourself, and offer sacrifices: thus you will be a true K峁�attriya.鈥� (38)

Nami answered: (39)

鈥楾hough a man should give, every month, thousands and thousands of cows, better will be he who controls himself, though he give no alms.鈥� (40)

Indra answered: (41)

鈥淵ou have left the dreadful 膩艣rama (that of the householder)^[8] and are wanting to enter another; (remain what you were), O king, and be content with observing the Posaha-days.鈥� (42)

Nami answered: (43)

鈥業f an ignorant man should eat but a blade of Ku艣a-grass every month, (the merit of his penance) will not equal the sixteenth part of his who possesses the Law as it has been taught.鈥� (44)

Indra answered: (45)

鈥淢ultiply your gold and silver, your jewels and pearls, your copper, fine robes, and carriages, and your treasury; then you will be a true K峁�attriya.鈥� (46)

Nami answered: (47)

'If there were numberless mountains of gold and silver, as big as Kail膩sa, they would not satisfy a greedy man; for his avidity is boundless like space. (48)

鈥楰nowing that the earth with its crops of rice and barley, with its gold and cattle, that all this put together will not satisfy one single man, one should practise austerities.鈥� (49)

Indra answered: (50)

鈥淎 miracle! O king, you give up those wonderful pleasures, in search of imaginary objects; your very hope will cause your ruin.鈥� (51)

Nami answered: (52)

鈥楶leasures are the thorn that rankles, pleasures are poison, pleasures are like a venomous snake; he who is desirous of pleasures will not get them, and will come to a bad end at last. (53)

鈥楬e will sink through anger; he will go down through pride; delusion will block up his path; through greed he will incur dangers in both worlds.鈥� (54)

Throwing off the guise of a Br膩hma峁嘺, and making visible his true form, 艢akra saluted him respectfully and praised him with these sweet words: (55)

鈥淏ravo! you have conquered anger; bravo! you have vanquished pride; bravo! you have banished delusion; bravo! you have subdued greed. (56)

鈥淏ravo for your simplicity, O saint! bravo for your humility, O saint! bravo for your perfect patience! bravo for your perfect liberation! (57)

鈥淗ere (on earth) you are the highest man, Reverend sir, and hereafter you will be the highest; exempt from all blemishes you will reach Perfection, a higher state than which there is none in this world.鈥� (58)

Thus praising the royal Seer, 艢akra in perfect faith kept his right side towards him and paid reverence to him, again and again. (59)

After having adored the best sage鈥檚 feet marked by the Cakra and the A峁卥u艣a^[9], he flew up through the air, with his crown and his earrings prettily trembling. (60)

Nami humbled himself; enjoined by 艢akra in person, the king of Videha left the house, and took upon him 艢rama峁嘺hood. (61)

Thus act the enlightened, the wise, the clever ones; they turn away from pleasures, as did Nami, the royal Seer. (62)

Thus I say.

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

The text has Mahil膩e, which is against the metre. The locative makes the construction needlessly involved.

[2]:

Ceie, caitya. The commentator interprets it as meaning 耻诲测腻苍补, park; but to make good his interpretation he takes vacche for an instrumental plural instead of a nominative singular. The context itself seems to militate against this interpretation; for it is natural to say of a tree that it has many leaves, but it is rather strained to say the same of a park.

[3]:

An instrument for defending a town.

[4]:

Gacchasi. The commentator explains this as an imperative, but there is no necessity for it.

[5]:

Tigutta, this is a pun on the three guptis.

[6]:

Vardham膩nag峁沨a; the houses which are so called, belong to the best kind, see Var膩ha Mihira, B峁沨at Sa峁僪it膩 53, 36.

[7]:

The first line of this verse is in the 膧谤测腻-metre, the second in 础苍耻峁ａ弓耻产丑; the whole will not construe, but the meaning is clear. There are numerous instances in which the metre changes in the same stanza from 膧谤测腻 to 础苍耻峁ａ弓耻产丑, and vice versa, so frequent they are that we are forced to admit the fact that the authors of these metrical texts did not shrink from taking such liberties.

[8]:

Ghor膩sama. A Jaina author cannot forbear to name things from his religious point of looking at them. Thus only can it be explained that here Indra is made to apply to the 膩艣rama of the householder an attribute which not he but his opponent could have used. Our verse is, however, probably only a later addition, as it has not the burden of the verses put into the mouth of Indra.

[9]:

The wheel and the hook.