The Secret of Past Lives: The Story of Jainacharya Vajra

While he was still in womb his father had embraced the monastic order. At the time of birth most of the ladies discussed that it was sad that his father was not present. It would have been a great moment if he had been there. The child heard these statements and he concentrated on these words. He became detached, desireless and totally disinterested. By meditation he could recall the experiences and incidents of his previous birth. He was full of detachment. He wanted to liberate himself from this material world. He was finally handed over to his ascetic father Muni Dhanagiri by mother Sunanda when he was just six months old. The moment the child recalled his previous birth he started crying and his mother could in no way stop him from crying. Mother was really in a fix. She did not know what to do. When Muni Dhanagiri took leave of his teacher to go for a round of alms, the teacher told him to bring anything animate or inanimate. Dhanagiri Muni went to Sunanda's home for Bhiksha. The child was crying. He did not stop even for a moment. Sunanda told her ex husband Dhanagiri, "This child of yours does not stop crying. You better take him away." So saying she slipped the child into his vessel. He opened the vessel and Sunanda dropped the child. The moment the child was dropped in the vessel he became silent but the vessel became heavy like a stone. So the acharya named him Vajra. He was brought up by munis. While these munis were reading the scriptures the child who was there was able to assimilate the knowledge of Agama. By the age of eight he had become quite knowledgeable by merely listening to elders reading scriptures. This has been the gift and grace of his previous birth. The memory of previous birth remained with him and came of use to build his knowledge.