A.P. Jain
The Great Renunciation:
It was the tenth day of the dark fortnight of the month of Margshirsh. Prince Vardhaman had observed a ritual fast of two days. A palanquin named Chandraprabh was prepared for his great renunciation. Sometime in the afternoon, Vardhaman came out of the palace and climbed into the palanquin. The procession with the palanquin proceeded to Jnatkhand garden in the north-east of Kshatriyakund. The palanquin was placed near an Ashok tree. Vardhaman got down from the palanquin. Thousands of eyes were staring at the prince. His golden body was adorned with a beautiful dress and scintillating ornaments. The next moment he had removed all the ornaments and his dress. The only cover on his body was a piece of cloth resting on his shoulders and provided by Indra. Vardhaman pulled out his hair in five fistfuls. Indra collected his dress, ornaments, and hair in a golden vessel.
After this he uttered in his deep resonant voice, "Namo Siddhanam," (I bow to the Siddhas or liberated souls). Then he took the vow of ascetic life, "I take the vow of practicing equanimity all through my life and abandon all intentional sinful activities."
Bhagwan Mahaveer Swami, accepting the rigorous ascetic vow, resolved, " In my ascetic life I will remain equanimous in all conditions and circumstances. I will tolerate every affliction of predicament caused by man, god, demon or animal equally, no matter how fearsome it is. As long as I do not attain omniscience, I will continue to tread the fire paved path of purity with unflinching and firm steps." A wave of reverence started and thousands of heads bowed with reverence and thousands of the throats uttered in unison, "Victory be to Shraman Mahaveer."
The Removal of Poverty:
After the austere vow the Mahashraman acquired Manahparyav Jnan which allowed him to perceive the feelings and thoughts of all beings. His heart was filled with equanimity and compassion. His face beamed with a spontaneous smile. He walked with firm and steady steps towards the jungle without turning around or hesitating.
Suddenly there was a feeble call from behind. The call of a pain filled heart retards the movement of a Mahashraman also. Next moment a wiry and weak Brahman, moving briskly with the help of a stick, arrived and fell at the feet of the Mahashraman. Tears were flowing from his eyes and there was an expressive pain on his pitiable face. he uttered humbly, "Prince Vardhaman! Kindly liberate me; give me something; remove my poverty."
Shraman Mahaveer recognized the old man to be Som Sharma of Brahmankund. Long back he used to come to king Siddharth’s court. The charitable king extended him all help by giving what he needed. He was happy then. But he was not seen after the king’s death.
Som Sharma said, "Prince, I wandered around from one state to another after the death of king Siddharth, my mentor. Wherever I went, my bad luck followed me. After two years of wandering in vain, I have returned home this morning. On my return my family members informed me about your yearlong charity. Everyone got what he desired, but I, the ill-fated, got nothing from your charitable hands. Prince! As soon as I reached home I came to know that abandoning everything, you have become ascetic only today. Prince Vardhaman, have pity on this poor destitute. Remove my poverty with your kind hands."
Mahaveer was filled with compassion, but today he had nothing to give. He suddenly thought of the divine cloth on his shoulder. He tore it into two and gave one to the Brahman. The Brahman was filled with joy. He took this piece of cloth to a mender and inquired about its value. The mender said, "Brahman! How did you get this divine cloth?
It is just a part of a whole. If you could bring the other part also, I will mend it back to its original form and you could sell it for a hundred thousand gold coins."
The greedy Brahman ran back to Mahaveer and followed him wherever he went. After about a year the remaining piece of the divine cloth fell from Mahaveer’s shoulder. Som Sharma picked it up, got it mended, and sold it to king Nandivardhan for a hundred thousand gold coins.
The Period of Practices: The Afflictions Rejection of the Divine Help:
The day after his renunciation Mahaveer left Jnatkhand garden. At sunset he arrived near a small village called Kurmargram (identified as Kaman Chhapra today). He stopped under a tree, and, standing rock still, started his meditation. After some time a cowherd arrived there with his oxen. He wanted to go into the village to do his job of milking cows. He approached the meditating Shraman and said, "Ascetic! Please look after my oxen while I go into the village to milk cows. I will return soon." Without waiting for a reply the cowherd went away. The oxen, untethered and uncared for, strayed into the nearby jungle. On his return when the cowherd did not find his oxen, he asked, "Ascetic! Where are my oxen?" Mahaveer remained silent. The cowherd grumbled and started looking around. He searched all around throughout the night in vain. The oxen, in the mean time, returned and lay down near Mahaveer. When the exhausted cowherd returned in the morning and beheld this scene, he lost his temper. He took Mahaveer to be a thief in disguise, whom he had caught just before the thief was to flee with the oxen that he must have hidden during the night. Without a second thought he started hitting Mahaveer with the rope he carried for tying the oxen. The hard sisal rope left large inflamed welts on Mahaveer’s naked body. Even this excruciating pain did not distract Mahaveer from his meditation.
Just then an overpowering divine person appeared and said in his commanding voice, "Stop it, you ignorant idiot! You are committing a grave crime. This person is no thief. He is the son of king Siddharth. He is Shraman Mahaveer, a great yogi and a meditating ascetic." The cowherd fell prostate at the feet of Mahaveer and, repenting for his ignorance, begged his pardon. The divine person who had interfered was none else but the king of gods, Indra. He bowed before Mahashraman. Disturbed by the inflamed marks on the body of Mahaveer he said, "Prabhu! These ignorant people will continue to cause you pain due to their foolishness. Please allow me to be in your attendance to provide you protection. Mahaveer replied in all humility, "Devraj! You should know that an ascetic on the spiritual path reaches the goal of purity with the help of his own practice, courage, and discipline. It is never with the help of the king of gods or the king of demons that a soul sheds all its Karmas and becomes an Arhant or gets liberated." Full of reverence and praise, the king of gods bowed before Shraman Mahaveer and departed.
The Afflictions by Shulpani:
Wandering Mahaveer one day arrived near a small forlorn village on the banks of river Vegvati. Outside the village on a small hillock stood a temple surrounded by scattered heaps of bones and skeletons. Considering it to be an appropriate place for his practices, Mahaveer sought permission from the villagers. The villagers informed him that this forlorn village was once a prosperous town. The ferocious lance wielding demon, Shulpani Yaksha, who dances and laughs on heaps of bones, had turned this Vardhaman village into Asthik-gram, the village of bones. The temple under questions was his temple and he did not allow any one to stay there. If at all someone stayed he did not come out alive. The villagers tried to dissuade Mahaveer from staying in the temple.
But Mahaveer was determined to root out fear and sow the seeds of courage. He insisted, and by evening he was standing at a spot within the temple, completely lost in his meditation. When darkness descended, the air was filled with eerie sounds. Shulpani, the Demon with a lance, appeared in the courtyard and started emitting fearful trumpeting noise. He was surprised to see a human being standing fearlessly in meditation. He produced thunderous roar that shook the thick walls of the temple. But the ascetic still did not move, nor did he show horrifying atrocities. A mad elephant appeared and goaded Mahaveer with its pointed tasks. It lifted him in his trunk and tossed around. When this had no effect on Mahaveer, a horrible ghost appeared and attacked Mahaveer with its large canines and claws. Next appeared a black serpent that attacked Mahaveer with its large venomous fangs and toxic breath. Finally he caused extreme pain in seven delicate spots within Mahaveer’s body (eyes, ears, nose, head, teeth, nails, and the back). Mahaveer had an endless capacity to tolerate pain. Even this extreme agony failed to pierce the serenity of his composure.
Drained of all his demonic energy, Shulpani became apprehensive. He thought that he was facing some divine power much stronger then he and he was heading towards his own destruction. All of a sudden a divine spiritual light heading towards his own destruction. All of a sudden a divine spiritual light illuminated his inner self. Slowly his anger subsided, fear dissolved, and a feeling of goodwill took over. He touched Mahaveer’s pardon. Mahaveer opened his eyes and, raising his humility begged Mahaveer’s pardon. Mahaveer opened his eyes and, raising his hand, said, "Shulpani! Anger supplements anger and love begets love. If you do not cause fear, you will become free of all fears always. So destroy the poison ivy of anger."
Mahaveer spent his first monsoon-stay at Asathik-gram.
The Embodiment of Love:
Leaving Asthik-gram Mahaveer proceeded in the direction of Shvetambika town. The trail to this town passed through a dense and desolate forest. When some shepherds saw Mahaveer entering the forest they shouted, "O Monk, stay put for a minute. This is a dangerous trail. There is a black serpent with venomous gaze on this trail. His hissing and gaze burn plant and trees. Even flying birds and standing humans drop dead. Please leave this trail and take a different route."
Mahaveer heard this fear filled call of the shepherds. With a serene smile he raised a hand as a gesture of assurance. With firm steps Mahaveer went near the snake-hole. All around human and animal skeletons could be seen. There was not a single green leaf as far as the eye could see. Close to the snake-hole was a dilapidated temple. Mahaveer stood in the shade of this temple and started his meditation.
After some time the giant black serpent came out of its hole hissing fiercely. It had seen a human being after a long time. The man was standing firm and fearless with closed eyes. The serpent was surprised. It looked at Mahaveer with its venomous red eyes. Like flames from a ball of fire, its poisonous eyes emitted waves of venom. It hissed awesomely. But all this had no effect whatsoever on Mahaveer. The serpent was astonished, "Till today every man I came across has been consumed by my first venomous hiss and this man stands still, absolutely unmoved."
The serpent glanced at the sun and once again focused its gaze at Mahaveer and hissed at him with renewed anger, but in vain. It slithered from the line of the expected fall of the body and than with all its force sank its fangs in Mahaveer’s toe and injected all its venom. It drew back and waited expectantly again in vain.
The angry serpent, vexed further by its failure stung Mahaveer twice again. All its three attacks were wasted. Mahaveer stood undisturbed. The serpent was astonished to see milk oozing out instead of blood from the spots where it has stung on Mahaveer’s toe.
Bhagwan Mahaveer Swami was standing unmoved. His face was glowing and on his lips was a charming smile, like a blooming rose. His eyes reflected the inner compassion.
The serpent continued to stare with surprise. Confused by its failure it was lost in its thoughts.
Involved in his spiritual pursuits, Mahaveer uttered din his deep and tranquil voice, " O Chandakaushik! Open your inner eyes. Be calm and remember your past life. do not inject venom of anger in your life. Rise above the deadly poison of anger.
Mahaveer opened his ambrosia filled eyes. When the serpent met his gaze, it felt as if a wave of peace and tranquillity had engulfed its inner self. It appeared that its venom was slowly vanishing. It was lost in deep thoughts. Its dormant memory started unfolding and it acquired Jatismaran Jnan. Incidents from its past two births surfaced in its memory. It realized that it had suffered excruciating pain and degradation due to extreme anger and acute attachment during those births. The heat of repentance melted its vices.
Its spirit embraced enlightenment and mind became tranquil. It touched the pious feet of Bhagwan Mahaveer Swami and resolved, "O Lord! Now I will not look at any one at all throughout my life. I will not eat anything. I will not drink also. I will just put my mouth in the hole and lie still in the shadow of your feet. I will now at one for all my sins committed during the last three births and improve my future."
Knowing that the serpent had become harmless, throngs of people started arriving from nearby villages. They worshipped the serpent-god by offering milk and sweets. But the serpent was lying, keeping its hood in the hole, in meditation without even a trace of movement. Swarms of ants were attracted by the sweets. They started stinging the serpent. But the serpent tolerated these afflictions with equanimity. It silently took the last vow (fast unto death). It tolerated the agony of hunger, thirst and the stings of ants. Its body became almost perforated, but it did not react at all. After fifteen days it died and was reborn as a god in the Sahasrar dimension.
Quashing of the Flames:
Once, leaving Shravasti, Shraman Vardhaman was going to Haliddug village. On the way he saw a large banyan tree. finding it suitable, he went under it and started his night meditation. It was winter and a cold wind was blowing. Gaushalak was also following him. As Gaushalak could not tolerate the piercing wind, he shifted to the other side of the tree. After some time some wayfarers also stopped under the tree. They collected dry wood and started a fire to cook food. They spent the night there and kept the fire burning.
The fire slowly spread and reached the spot where Mahaveer was standing. Gaushalak shouted a warning. But Mahaveer had no Early in the morning they broke camp and went away. The fire was left burning. Slowly it spread and engulfed the surrounding dry twigs and leaves gathered under the tree. The wind was blowing in the direction of meditating Mahaveer. The fire slowly spread and reached the spot where Mahaveer was standing. Gaushalak shouted a warning. But Mahaveer had no awareness besides that for his soul. He was unmoved by the heat of the approaching flames. He was busy quashing the ultimate fire, the fire of rebirth. The flames reached him and scorched his feet. Even this acute pain did not reach the depth of his tranquillity. After some time the fire subsided on its own.
Torture by Kalahasti:
Leaving Chorak village Mahaveer arrived at the out skirts of Kalambuka village. This village was ruled by two brother, Megh and Kalahasti. Although they were landlords and chieftains. they were still involved in unlawful activities like looting the neighboring kingdom. Tying them with ropes, he tortured them inhumanely. When he still could extract no information from them be ordered them, to be taken to his elder brother, Megh, for further torture and interrogation.
Shackled like criminals, They were produced before Megh, who felt as if he was looking at a known face. He suddenly recalled that once he had seen prince Vardhaman at the court of king Siddharth. This shackled spy seemed to have an uncanny resemblance with the prince. He came closer and recognized that the person in bondage was none else but prince Vardhaman who had become a Shraman. He fell at the feet of Mahaveer and, with tears of repentance in his eyes he begged to be forgiven. When released Mahaveer resumed his journey.
Among the Aborigines:
It was the fifth year of practices of Bhagwan Mahaveer Swami. He moved into the Radh (or Ladh) country. This area was also known as Vajra Bhumi or Shubhra Bhumi and was inhabited by scant and scattered population of rustic aborigines. Gaushalak also followed Mahaveer wherever he went. The people of this area did not know anything about ascetics and their ways. They stared in astonishment when they saw a naked person standing like a statue at godforsaken places. When they did not get any response or even reaction on shouting at him, they would get irritated and hit him with sticks, lances, bones and stones. Some on his body. Shraman Mahaveer equally tolerated all these tortures and continued his advance toward purity.
He wandered from one place to another and once in a while came across small villages. Not so very often he would enter a village to beg food and mostly got dry and stale food. However, most of the time he went without any food. People would curiously stare at him and wild dogs would pounce on him and bite. For their crude entertainment, the aborigines would pick up Mahaveer and throw him on the ground. Mahaveer spent almost five months in that area during his first visit. Once again, during the ninth year of his practices, Mahaveer returned to this area for about six months.
Saving Goshalak:
Once, while moving from Siddharthpur to Kurmar village Mahaveer was passing through a dense forest. All of a sudden Gaushalak saw a Tapas ascetic in an opening on one side of the trail. On closer observation he saw that the hermit was busy doing some strange penance. He was standing facing the sun with his head hanging down and arms straight up. Long strands of his hair were hanging on the ground like roots of some old banyan tree. Due to the heat of sun rays, small insects, falling from his unkempt hair were writhing, and out of compassion, he was picking them up and putting them back in his dense locks of hair.
Gaushalak could not control his laughter seeing this strange activity. Jokingly he said, "O abode of insects! What do you think you are doing? You are gathering insects and considering this act to be a penance." The hermit remained calm the first time. But when Gaushalak did not refrain from making biting remarks, the hermit looked at him with his burning eyes and said, "O vicious person! My name is Vaisyayan Tapas and I am the doom of ignorant fools like you." Instead of jolting him to sanity, this scornful comment drew an insulting laughter from Gaushalak. The hermit now took a few steps back and angrily started emitting fire from his mouth (this is a miraculous power called Tejoleshya, acquired through long and harsh penance). Within no time, a ball of fire rushed towards Gaushalak, who retreated with fear and ran to Mahaveer shouting in panic, "Sire! Save me. This Tapas will burn me." Reaching Mahaveer, Gaushalak fell at his feet.
Hearing the pathetic call of Gaushalak, Mahaveer was moved. Turning back he saw the approaching fire ball. From the compassionate heart of Shraman Mahaveer flowed a spontaneous stream of cool pacifying energy. When the nectar-glance of Mahaveer fell on the fire-ball, it subsided. The angry hermit was astonished to see his fire-ball extinguished. He recognized Mahaveer as a much greater and more benevolent power than he, and said, "Pardon me, O embodiment of benevolence! I did not know that this man was your disciple." Gaushalak was saved from his imminent death.
Gaushalak was relieved. He asked, "Sire! What does this abode of insects say?" Mahaveer replied, "He was just going to turn you to ashes with his fire-power. You were saved by me by my pacifying power. Do not disturb anyone in the future."
Afflictions by Kataputna:
It was an incident from the sixth year of the period of spiritual practices of Shraman Mahaveer. It was the month of Magh, the peak of winter season. Chilling and biting winds were blowing. During the quiet part of the night in a lonely jungle, Mahaveer was standing in meditation. All of a sudden, a witch named Kataputna came there. Seeing Mahaveer deep in meditation she became angry for no apparent reason.
But there is nothing that happens without reason. There must certainly been some antagonism from some previous birth. As soon as the feeling surfaced, Kataputna lost her reason, and, in order to take her revenge of some forgotten deed from some past life, she started torturing Mahaveer.
She took the form of a giant and ominous looking Parivrajak with long strands of hair. Filling ice cold water in her braided hair she sprayed that freezing water on Mahaveer. The atmosphere was filled with the moaning sound of icy winds and demonic laughter of the witch. It was a horrific scene.
Mahaveer, elevated completely into a higher spiritual realm, remained unmoved and serene. At last the witch accepted her defeat. She bowed to the feet of Shraman Mahaveer and left. As a result of his total absorption in the self and his high purity of soul, Mahaveer acquired the special mental powers of perceiving the whole physical world at will.
In the Prison:
During the sixth year of his practices, Mahaveer one day went to the Kupiya village in the state of Videh, east of Vaishali. The village guards caught him and, taking him to be a spy, put him in prison. There were two female mendicants in the village. When they, Vijay and Pragalbh, heard that a spy disguised as a nude ascetic had been apprehended, they came to see him. Shraman Mahaveer, tied up, was standing in meditation in the prison. The mendicants recognized him and became sad. They approached the guards and said, "You call yourself guardians of the state and people and you fail to distinguish a thief from a honest citizen. You do not find any difference between a Shraman and a smuggler. For your information, you are torturing Shraman Vardhaman, the ascetic son of king Siddharth. Have you no fear of the wrath of the gods?"
With this revelation the soldiers started trembling. They, at once, released Mahaveer and sought his forgiveness. Shraman Mahaveer just raised his palm a gesture of pardon and assurance and left for some other solitary place.
Deadly Torture by Sangam:
One day Shraman Mahaveer was doing a special one night meditation in the Polash temple in Pedhal garden outside the Pedhal village. In this practice one makes his body, mind, psyche and soul absolutely still and tranquil. Observing the high degree of engrossment in meditation, Indra exclaimed, "You are great, Prabhu Vardhaman! Today you have no equal as an ascetic and serene, brave, and equanimous spiritualist." Sangam, a god in Indra’s assembly, was peeved at this praise of a moral being. He retorted, "If Devraj promises not to interfere, I can disturb the concentration of Mahaveer. It is a child’s play for me."
Indra remained silent, through unwillingly. Considering it to be affirmative, Sangam, with all his cunning and power came to Polash temple. One after another he crated twenty almost fatal predicaments to disturb Mahaveer’s meditation.
He created a terrible sand storm an in no time Mahaveer was submerged in a heap of sand. Mahaveer, in his unshakable determination did not even close his eyes. As soon as the storm stopped, arrived a swarm of ants. Mahaveer’s body was covered with biting and stinging ants, but he remained still. After this, innumerable mosquito’s attacked Mahaveer’s body. After mosquitoes, came an attack by white ants turning him into a termite-hill. Scorpions crawled over his body and pierced it with poisonous stings. This was followed by biting mongoose, large cobras, and giant field rats.
After all this, appeared a white elephant that goaded Mahaveer with its large pointed tusks. This elephant than lifted Mahaveer in its trunks and tossed him up. When Mahaveer fell on the ground, it crushed him with its legs. This was followed by an attack by an ominous looking ghost. Then a tiger attacked and gored Mahaveer with its sharp talons.
When all these painful afflictions failed to disturb Mahaveer’s meditation, Sangam took a different approach. He created a realistic illusion of Siddharth and Trishla weeping and wailing profusely. But this too could not penetrate Mahaveer’s iron resolve. Sangam then lit a fire almost touching Mahaveer’s feet and started cooking. After this he took the form of a bird catcher and hung a number of cages on Mahaveer. The birds attacked Mahaveer with their beaks and talons through the gaps in the cages. Blood oozed from these new wounds. Then came a storm, torrential rain, and hail-storm. Nothing could disturb the rock hard resolve of Mahaveer.
Now came a giant whirlwind; lifting and swirling everything that came in its path. Mahaveer’s body swirled but his mind remained stable. At last Sangam himself lifted a large mace and hit Mahaveer. It was a heavy blow that buried Mahaveer in the ground up to his knees but he did not even blink. After all these physical blows, Sangam resorted to a psychological attack. He arrived in his divine form riding a Viman (space vehicle) and said to Mahaveer, "Why are you suffering so much and still standing on the earth. Come, I will take you to heaven with this mortal body of yours." Mahaveer did not respond.
Lastly Sangam produced sparsely clad fairies who approached Mahaveer and undulated their voluptuous bodies invitingly. He also created an atmosphere conducive to lust. Mahaveer never even shifted his icy gaze and his body remained reactionless.
All these twenty afflictions drained Sangram’s energy and he was tired. On the other hand even after tolerating these painful tortures Mahaveer remained poised in his elevated state of meditation.
Refuge to the Demon King:
In the Vindhya range there lived a hermit named Puran. As a result of his rigorous penance’s he was reincarnated as the king of demons, Chamarendra. He had a bloated ego due to his natural powers and miraculous capacities. When through his demonic perception, he came to know that the king of gods, Shakrendra, had more glory and luxuries, his ego was hurt. He decided to subjugate the king of gods. He prepared to attack the abode of Shakrendra, the Saudharm Viman, with his demonic arsenal. But in case he faced defeat he wanted support from someone more powerful than him. On searching he found that Shraman Mahaveer was the most suitable person.
He immediately rushed to Sumsumarpur, where Mahaveer was standing in meditation. After bowing to Mahaveer he said, "Bhante! I, demon king Chamarendra, am going to fight with Saudharmendra Shakra, please protect me." Saying thus and without waiting for a reply, he rushed to the assembly of gods and challenged the king of gods. Fro a moment Shakrendra was taken aback but when he saw that it was demon king Chamrendra, he calmly lifted his most potent weapon, the Vajra, and launched it at the demon king.
As the Vajra sped in the direction of Chamarendra it emitted bright sparks and thunderous sound. Afraid of this fierce weapon Chamarendra fled in the direction of the tree under which Mahaveer stood in meditation. When Shakendra realized where Chamarendra was heading, he became worried about any possible damage the Vajra could cause to Mahaveer. He at once rushed after fleeing Chamarendra to defuse the Vajra. It was a strange seen in the sky; first the demon king crying with fear, then the sparkling Vajra followed by the king of gods.
The demon king transformed himself into a tiny being and took refuge behind Mahaveer’s feet. He uttered, "Prabhu! I am under your protection, kindly save me." As the Vajra was bout to hit him and explode, Indra caught it and disabled it Chamarendra was trembling with fear and Shakrendra was boiling with anger. Mahaveer lifted his open palm and blessed them both. Indra said to Chamarendra, "Demon king! What you have done is unpardonable? But by taking refuge with Bhagwan Mahaveer Swami you have tied my hands. As he has forgiven you I am leaving you unharmed. You may go." The demon king, free of the fear of fear and the king of gods, free of anger, bowed before Bhagwan Mahaveer Swami and left for their respective abodes.
The Deliverance of Chandana:
From the capital town Kaushambi, king Shatanik ruled over the state of Vats. His chief queen Mrigavati was the daughter of Maharaj Chetak of Vaishali republic. Anga was neighboring state and its capital was Champa. The king of this state was Maharaj Dadhivahan. His queen Dharini was the younger daughter of Chetak. Dharini had a daughter named Vasumati who was very beautiful as well as graceful.
Once, when king Dadhivahan had gone with his army to assist a neighboring king, Shatanik attacked Champa. The cruel soldiers of Kaushambi plundered Champa. The general and a great Charioteer of Kaushambi, Kakmukh was attracted more by beauty rather than riches. He entered the palace and kidnapped queen Dharini and Vasumati. On the way when Kakmukh intended to violate her chastity, queen Dharini committed suicide. When Vasumati also threatened to do so, he had a change of heart. He took her to his home as a daughter. When his wife did not tolerate Vasumati, he was persuaded by Vasumati to auction her in the slave market and please his wife with the proceeds.
Kakmukh took Vasumati to the slave market. In the auction the highest bidder was a courtesan from Kaushambi. There was an altercation when Vasumati refused to go with her.
Just at that moment a rich merchant from Kaushambi arrived there. Seeing the commotion he inquired, "What is going on here?"
Someone from the crowd said, "Today a slave girl, lifted from Champa, has been bought for sale at a hundred thousand gold pieces. She looks like a divine beauty. A courtesan has bought her but she refuses to go with her. She appears to be a high born and chaste girl."
Immediately the merchant entered the slave market. He looked at the princes and was immediately drawn to analyzing the situation, "no, she cannot be a slave girl. She is a divine person. O lord! How evil the prevailing conditions have become! Such inhuman torture to such a delicate and cultured girl. A lovely girl in such a wretched predicament." The merchant was moved. He approached Vasumati and said, "Child, I am merchant Dhanavah. I am a follower of Nirgranth Shramans and live in this town. Looking at your troubles I feel depressed. If you do not wish to go with the courtesan I will not allow this to go with the courtesan I will not allow this to happen. I will buy you by paying a hundred thousand gold pieces. Would you come with me? Would you live with me as my daughter?"
An orphan princess, sold as a slave, arrived at the house of merchant Dhanavah. But his wife, Mula, became doubtful as soon as she saw the divinely beautiful girl entering her household. The moment Mula set her eyes on Vasumati she saw a rival for the favors of her husband. Sown were the seeds of doubt even for her upright husband.
Due to her sweet demeanor Vasumati had a magical influence over the household. The fragrance of her poise and coolness of her nature inspired Dhanavah to call her Chandan (sandal wood). His wife Mula was smitten with envy. She thought that this poisonous flower should be nipped in the bud.
One day, merchant Dhanavah left the town on some business errand. This was a golden opportunity for Mula. She relieved all the servants of the household, called Chandana, replaced her beautiful dress with rags, took off all of her ornaments, tied her in shackles and shaved her long silky hair. Chandana uttered in surprise, "Mother, what are you doing? I have done no harm to you. For what misdeed are you punishing me?"
Mula silenced Chandana, put her in a dark cell, locked it and left.
Dhanavaha returned on the third day. When he saw the house abandoned he was taken aback. He called, "Chandan, O Chandan!" but no one replied. He went at the back of the house and shouted once again. Chandana shouted back, "Father, I am here, in the cellar on the back side."
The merchant went in and saw that the cellar was locked. Looking through the bars of the iron gate he saw Chandana in her wretched condition and started crying, "What happened to my daughter? What evil soul has done this to you?" Chandana replied calmly, "Father, get me out first and then I will tell you everything."
The merchant broke the lock and brought out Chandana. She asked, "Father, I have not taken even a drop of water for last three days. Please give me something to eat and drink." The merchant went around the house but everything was locked. Not even a utensil was available. He saw a basket containing a handful of dried pulse-bran meant for cows. He took the basket and put it before Chandana, "Child, eat some of this. I shall call a blacksmith to cut your shackles."
The Impossible Resolution:
It was the 12th year of Bhagwan Mahaveer Swami’s spiritual practices. Spending the monsoon-stay at Vaishali he came to a garden in Kaushambi. It was the time around which the incidents of Shatanik’s attack on Champa, fall of Champa, sacrifice of queen Dharini, auction of princess Vasumati as a slave, etc. were occurring. Bhagwan Mahaveer Swami with his penetrating knowledge and perception had a glimpse of all this. He made an almost impossible resolution on the first day of the dark half of the month of Paush.
"I will accept alms for breaking my fast only from a princess that has become a slave. And that too only if she has a shaven head, her limbs are shackled, she has not eaten for three days, she is sitting on the threshold of a house, she has pulse-bran lying in a basket and she has a smile as well as tears in her eyes. Unless these conditions are met I resolve to continue my practice and not to break my fast."
Four months passed since Bhagwan Mahaveer Swami started going from door to door to beg in the town of Kaushambi.
One day Mahaveer approached the house of the chief minister of Kaushambi, Sugupta. Sugupta’s wife, Nanda was a devotee of Bhagavan Parshvanath and was acquainted with the ways of ascetic Shramans. Looking at Mahashraman Vardhaman approaching her house for alms, she became enthralled. She requested Prabhu to accept pure and ascetic food. Mahaveer turned back without accepting anything. Nanda became disappointed. Cursing her bad luck she said, "Mahashraman Vardhaman came to my house and, what a misfortune, I could not provide him anything."
Nanda’s maids reassured her, "Lady, why are you so dejected, this ascetic has been approaching almost every household in Kaushambi for alms and without taking a single grain or uttering a word he is returning back. We have been witnessing all this for the last four months. This is nothing unique at your place so why be dismayed?"
The words of the maid added to Nanda’s distress, "What! The Mahashraman is returning without alms for last four months. That means Prabhu has been on fast for four months and I have not been on fast for four months and I have not been able to serve him. How unlucky I am?"
At that moment minister Sugupta arrived. Nanda told him everything.
Sugupta also became worried. King Shatanik and queen Mrigavati also got the news that Shraman Mahaveer was wandering in Kaushambi without food or water for four months. Everyone was sad and worried. The ruling family for Bhagwan Mahaveer Swami’s Darshan and requested him to accept food. But he was unmoved.
Five months and twenty five days had passed since Bhagwan Mahaveer Swami had eaten anything. The twenty sixth day of the sixth month dawned. It was past noon when Prabhu Vardhaman, wandering for alms, was approaching the house of merchant Dhanavah. An expectant crowd followed him.
Chandana was sitting on the threshold of the cellar, one feet inside and the other outside. In her hand was a basket and in the basket, stale pulse-bran. When she looked at the shackles on her limbs a broken dream emerged in her memory and she became lost. All of a sudden she heard the sound of approaching footsteps, and a murmur of a crowd. She looked up and found that the great savior Sharaman Mahaveer was standing at her door. Chandana became enthralled. She thought, "Thank lord! You have yourself come to my rescue from this pitiable condition." A glow of happiness dawned on her face. She forgot all her misery, the pain turned into joy as if every cell in her body was dancing. She tried to stand, "Welcome O lord! Please accept something from these wretched hands." Prabhu took a step forward and stopped. Twelve out of the thirteen conditions were visible, only Chandana had no tears in her eyes, Mahaveer turned and started moving away.
As soon as Mahaveer turned, Chandana’s joy vanished as if struck by lightning, "How unlucky I am that even in this wretched condition Prabhu has returned empty handed from my door." Filled with self-pity she started crying.
Mahaveer turned back and looked. All conditions of his resolution were visible now. He stepped ahead and extended her cupped palms before Chandana. Joyous Chandana took the pulse-bran from the basket and put it in the extended palms of Bhagwan Mahaveer Swami. Mahaveer broke his fast.
The next moment Chandana’s shackles shattered to pieces. Divine drums sounded in the sky. Divine applause echoed from all directions, "Hail the alms-giving." Flowers, fragrant water and perfumes showered from the sky and the courtyard of Dhanvah was filled with heaps of gems. Her beauty had magnified thousand fol. Gods and goddesses adorned Chandana with beautiful garments and ornaments.
This resolution of the period of penance of Bhagwan Mahaveer Swami may be deemed as the first step of the human endeavor for women’s liberation.
Last Calamity: Nails in the Ears:
After spending the twelfth monsoon-stay of his period of practices in Champa, Bhagwan Mahaveer Swami arrived outside a village named Chhammani and stood in meditation. It was dusk and a cowherd was returning home from his farm he said, "Ascetic! Please look after my oxen, I will return in a few minutes", and he left.
The cowherd went into the village and returned a little late. The oxen had drifted away grazing. Not finding his oxen, he asked, "Ascetic, where are my oxen?"
Mahaveer was in deep meditation and unaware of all this. The cowherd asked again, and once again he did not get any response. He got irritated and shouted, "You hypocrite! Are you deaf, don’t you hear anything?"
Mahaveer still did not respond. The cowherd lost his temper, "You pretender,-it seems that both your ears are useless. Wait a minute, I will give you proper treatment." He picked long nail like thorns from a nearby shrub of Kansa grass and pierced the ears of Mahaveer deeply by hammering the thorns in.
Even such excruciating agony did not move Mahaveer from his meditation, neither did it evoke any feeling of anger or aversion in him.
Completing his meditation in normal course he went inside the village for alms. He arrived at the door of a trader named Siddharth. A friend of the trader was sitting with him. He was a doctor. Both of them gave pure food to Mahashraman with due respect.
Doctor Kharak told Siddharth, "Friend, the face of this Shraman has a divine glow but there is a shade of tiredness too. Some inner pain is visible in his eyes. I feel this great sage suffers from some inner agony."
Siddharth replied, "Friend, if such a great sage suffers from some kind of pain, we should immediately go and treat him."
After taking alms Mahashraman returned. Taking Doctor Kharak with him, Siddharth followed. Going into the garden, where Prabhu rested, when the two exclaimed him they found the tow thorns stuck in his ears. Kharak shivered with remorse. The friends then arranged for necessary instruments and medicines. They used some medicated oil and forceps and pulled out he thorns. This caused such an unbearable agony to Mahaveer that an anguished cry was forced out of him. Blood oozed out of his ears. The doctor dressed the wound with some coagulant.
Ten Great Dreams:
Once after some deep and exhausting spiritual practice Bhagwan Mahaveer Swami was extremely tired. The exhaustion resulted in a slumber for a few moments during the last hour of the night and Mahaveer saw ten strange drams.
The ten scenes of Mahaveer’s dream and the interpretations of Utpal are as follows:
Int.: You will soon destroy the Mohaniya Karma (illusory Karma).
Int.: You will always have purest attitude or feelings.
Int.: You will propagate multifaceted knowledge through the twelve Angas (canons).
Int.: Utpal could not understand the fourth scene. On his inquiry Mahaveer explained.... I will preach tow way religion... the conduct of ascetics and the conduct of laity.
Int.: The four pronged organization (Shraman, Shramani, Shravak, Shravika) will serve you.
Int.: Gods from four dimensions will serve you.
Int.: You will cross the ocean of rebirths.
Int.: Soon you will get enlightenment or omniscience.
Int.: You will pervade the universe with your pure glory.
Int.: You will give religious discourse sitting on a high throne.
