Muni Kishan Lal
Bhagvan Gautam went to Bhagvan Mahavir. He prostrated before him and said, "O great one! Is there anyone who is blind and ugly?"
"Yes, there is one."
"O great one, is he blind by birth and how does one look like?
"Gautam in this Mrigugram city, Mrigaputra is the name of the child born to Mrigadevi and Vijay who is kshatriya. He is blind by birth and ugly. This child does not have hands, feet, eyes and nose. He is just a mass of flesh and blood. She keeps her son in a cellar. She feeds him with food and water without the knowledge of anybody."
Bhagvan Gautam prostrated before Bhagvan Mahavir and requested him to permit him to go see the child. Do as you wish, the master told his disciple.
Bhagvan Gautam was happy to get the consent of Bhagvan Mahavir. He started moving slowly towards Mrigagram. He was walking slowly without the least feeling of any adverse emotion. He followed his own shadow and tried to cast away all ill feeling as he walked towards Mrigagram village. By passing through the centre of the village he came to the home of Mriga Devi.
On seeing Bhagvan Gautam, Mrigadevi was very happy. She got up and took seven or eight steps. Then she encircled three times and prostrated before him and said, "O Blessed One, may I know what brought you here?"
Bhagvan Gautam replied to Mrigadevi "I have come to see your son. She immediately brought before him, her other four sons well dressed with all ornaments suitable for princess and said, "O great one here are my sons." Bhagvan Gautam told Mrigadevi "I have not come to see these sons. I have come to see your eldest son Mrigaputra who is blind by birth and very ugly, and whom you feed in a cellar unnoticed by anyone."
Mrigadevi asked Gautam, "O great one, who is that great knowledgeable and visionary who has told you this secret?" Bhagvan Gautam told Mrigadevi "Respected and loved by the celestials, my preceptor Bhagvan Mahavir is a visionary and ascetic who has told me about this secret." While Mrigadevi was talking with Gautam it was time to give food to Mrigaputra.
Mrigadevi said to Gautam, "O revered one please stay here. I will show my son Mrigaputra." So saying she went to the kitchen. She changed her dress and took out the wheel cart. She had brought food and laid it on the cart. Then she came to Bhagvan Gautam and said, "O respected one. Please follow me. I will show you Mrigaputra." Bhagvan Gautam followed her. Mrigadevi slowly took the wheel cart to the cellar. She folded a long cloth and tied around her face. She asked Bhagvan Gautam to do the same. Turning aside she opened the door. Stench started emanating as if there was a corpse.
Mrigaputra could smell the delicious food. He became unconscious and started eating. But the whole food had been so assimilated that the digested matter transformed into blood and bile. He started eating the blood and bile. On seeing Mrigaputra Bhagvan Gautam felt that this child is suffering such miseries because of his sins he had committed in his previous birth. He said, "I have not seen the hell and miseries of a person thrown into hell but now I am convinced that people who suffer such miseries is nothing but hellish." After sometime he took leave of Mrigadevi.
He came to Bhagvan Mahavir. He circled his guru three times and then prostrated before him and said, "O revered one, who was he in his previous birth? What was his name? What was his gotra (clan/ sect)? To which village did he belong? What did he do? What did he enjoy? How did he lead his life? For which type of bad deeds, attitude, lifestyle is he paying for in this miserable life?"
