Sadhvi Vishrut Vibha
Marudevaa was the mother of Rishabha, the first Tirthankar (prophet) in Jain religion. She was a very benevolent and pure-hearted lady. Because she was beyond the wasteful emotions of anger, pride, deceit and greed, the bondage of her karma was not intense. After Rishabha's initiation into the monkhood, she lost interest in housework, and instead spent her time on religious performances.
For a long period of time following Rishabha's initiation, Marudevaa could not visit him. One day, after attaining supreme knowledge, Lord Rishabha came back to Ayodhya.
For some time his mother had been worried about him. She pondered over what would happen to Rishabha after he renounced the world, who would serve him, who would take care of him! At times, because of her strong bonds of attachment to Rishabha, she thought, "Rishabha should have kept me in mind, because, after all, I am his mother." When she thought of Rishabha, she was choked with emotion. When she learned of Rishabha's arrival, she was oveijoyed. Jubilantly she made preparations to visit Rishabha and to make up for the lost time between them.
The festivities commenced. As she sat high on an elephant, a flow of thoughts passed forth in her mind.
When she looked at Rishabha in the rostrum from afar, her previous thoughts changed. She thought, 'Rishabha lives in great contentment. I was unnecessarily worried about him. A great number of human and celestial beings are serving him. He did not have such prosperity as a householder.'
Thus, her thoughts became pure and she too achieved the state of Kevalgyana.
As these petty thoughts ran through her head, she began to reprimand herself, 'Where am I going? What am I thinking? Rishabha has attained supreme knowledge and yet I have delusion in my mind. He has become detached and I am still attached. This is not good for me.'
Thus, her thoughts became pure and she too achieved the state of Kevalgyana. Lord Rishabha, who was giving his lecture, told that Marudevaa had been liberated. All looked behind and found that only the physical body of Marudevaa remained.
According to Jain doctrine, purity of thought guides a person on the path to spiritual upliftment.
