Muni Kishan Lal
Generally, when one recalls one's previous birth one becomes an ascetic, from non-believer becomes a believer, from misery moves towards salvation due to self-realization. There is also an incident, however, of cruelty being manifest in the rebirth. Due to knowledge retained from the previous birth, she knew that men were, by nature, undependable. Princess Hamsavali hated men. In her previous birth, she had been a female swan. She had laid two eggs. All of a sudden there was a fire in the jungle. She was in great predicament. She asked her male partner to get some water so that they could use the leaf for sprinkling water around the two eggs and save themselves. He flew out to get water and tried to fetch water. Before her partner could arrive the fire caught up the tree and the bird and her eggs perished. All her best efforts could not save the eggs. She thought that she should perish along with her unborn. She hated her partner and she felt that all males are selfish. They just rescue themselves from danger and they do not help those who are under their care. She was extremely angry. This was reflected in the character of Princess Hamsavali. That female swan was born as Princess Hamsavali. On the days of (Ashtami, Chaturdashi and Amavasya) eighth, fourteenth and new moon she used to take a sword and whenever and wherever she encountered a man would immediately kill him. People as well as the king and his courtiers were very worried. They thought if she continued like this people will flee from the city. They wanted to find a solution to this. The king called his minister Mankeshari and narrated the problem. The wise prime minister understood that the princess attacked only men. He knew it was because of her memories of her previous birth. Princess Hamsavalli had memories of her previous birth and how she had perished in the wild fire in the jungle along with her two eggs. But she did not know about her male partner. Minister Mankeshari asked a painter to paint showing the male swan reaching the spot with water in his beak and on finding that his partner and the eggs had perished in fire he too jumped into the fire. This painting was displayed in a place where Princess Kamsavali could easily see. The moment she saw the picture she fainted. When she regained consciousness, she was full of admiration for her partner and wanted to find him. She requested the minister to arrange somehow so that she could meet her partner of previous birth. The minister very cleverly said, "I shall try to find him. Let us see when and where." Hamsavali so gentle and polite said, "If you reunite me with my partner of previous birth I shall honour you."
On the other hand King Narvahan had a wonderful dream. He saw a beautiful princess. He saw that he had married her. He was happily married to her. Though it sounds strange but it is the truth. Dreams sometimes mirror the reality. A number of dreams come true or events themselves manifest in dreams. Dream world in itself is strange. Whatever is imprinted in the mind that comes as a dream. Sometimes dreams cast the incidents of the future. Sometimes the dreams take you to secrets of the past and sometimes the incidents of the present also occur in dreams.
(A foreigner in her dream felt that her mother had a heart attack and that she was sweating a lot. She got up from bed. She rang up the doctor. The doctor immediately took care and gave injection. When the daughter reached home the mother was surprised that the daughter had dreamt about her condition and thus sent the doctor. Mother and daughter were surprised that they were living far apart still the dream had come true.)
Similarly the king also saw Hamsavali in dream. He narrated to his minister. The minister told him that he and Hamsavali had perished in jungle fire. He could immediately recollect the whole incident. (Normally one is able to recall in dream that is seen, heard and experienced get imprinted. Suppose you ask a person where do you live? He will say, "I live in Gurgaon." Where do you live in Gurgaon? I live in Sector 55. In which house do you live? I live in house number 25. In which room? I live in the right side. As one recalls the place of experience and incidents easily of the present similarly one is able to recall the past in present status.)
Raja Naravahan and Hamsavali were married. Many such stories are told of the recollections of one's previous births and are told in the book of Jain stories, volume 24.
