FOUNDATION COURSE

UNIT: 1 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 UNIT: 2 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 HISTORY OF JAINISM Present sects of Jainism and Specialities. Penance, Dignity and Former lives of Lord Mahavir Introduction of 24 Tirthankars. Why their number is 24 ? Gandhars of 24 Tirthankars Priests of Jains and Hereditary Lianage(Pat Parampara) WONDERFUL STORIES IN JAIN RELIGION Stories: Our valuable Heritage Shri Bhadrabahu Swami Shri Vajra Swami Shri Haribhadra Suri Shri Hirvijay Suri Shashan Samrat Shri Vijay Nemi Suri Sadhvi(Female Monk) Chandan Bala Sadhvi Pushp Choola Sadhvi Yakini Mahttara Sadhvi Pahini Mata Sadhvi Sunanda(Rupesen) Great President: Abhay Kumar Puniya Shravak Great King Kumarpal Sava-Soma Karma Shah Sulasa Manorama Anupama Devi Nagila

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UNIT: 3 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 3.10 3.11 3.12

JAIN FESTIVALS What is a festival? Its rules and regulations New Year, New Life, An Auspicious Message A Science of experience-knowledge is Gyan Panchami Experience of Emancipation through conservation of vigour is Maun Ekadashi Achievement of Death Contemplation(Samadhi Maran) is Posh Dashami Nector of Devotion to God is Meru Terash Worship of Chaudash after every four months. Worship of Shashvati : Navpadji Oli Immortal worship of Akshaya Trutiya Worship of five Kalyanakas of Tirthankars. Three great worships-pilgrimages of Shatrunjaya King of all festivals: Paryushana Maha Parva

UNIT: 4 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6

JAIN AACHARS (MORALS) & ETHICS What will you do to become a true Jain Duties & rules of household life 21 virtues enlightening life Important features of Jain Food Eighteen ways of Sins Science of Jainism: 12 Vows

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2.2. SHRI BHADRABAHUSWAMI Shrutkevali (knower of all the canonical lierature) Shri Bhadrabahu Swami was the seventh in the pattadhars (chief disciples) of Lord Mahavir. Reputed Acharya Yashobhadras disciple as he was, he had the knowledge of 14 purvas (early canons). At the age of 45 he accepted the life of penance and restraint, and in the presence of Acharya Sambhut Vijayji he was designated as acharya (head of a mendicant group). For over 14 years he ably managed the affairs of Jinshasan (Jain order) and added honour and glory to the post. He died at the age of 76, and with him the tradition of Shrutkevali came to an end. Shri Bhadrabahuswami was born in Pratishthanpur. His brother Varahmihir and he both were expert scholars of 4 vedas and 14 vidyas. Their meeting with Shrutkevali Shri Yashobhadrashri resulted in their initiation. However, the Guru considered Bhadrabahu as a more deserving candidate for the learning of 14 purvas as also the acharyapad and so the Guru appointed him as his successor. This decision irritated and enraged Varahmihir who ultimately renounced his initiation. About this time, a child was born to the king and Varahmihir made a forecast that the boy would live for one hundred years. Incidentally, sanghnayak (leader of a congregation) Bhadrabahuswami, staying in the same city, did not go to the palace to bless the child and to congratulate the king. Seizing this opportunity Varahmihir instigated the king and the people against Bhadrabahuswami. When Bhadrabahuswami came to know all this, he said that he knew that on the seventh day the boy was to die because of a cat and so he had decided to call on the king to console him. Though he had full faith in the forecast of Varahmihir, the king took all precautions and arranged to catch and drive away all the cats out of the town in the forest area. The child was kept under strict surveillance. But as destined, the wooden bar at the door with a cats figure on it fell on the childs head, killing him instantly. On this shocking and sorrowful occasion, Bhadrabahuswami went to the king to offer his consolation. Greatly moved by this gesture, the king offered him unusual honour. Varahmihir had failed in his plan and steeped in his own anger and enmity, Varahmihir was born as Vyanterdev (a class of lower god) in his next birth and by means of knowledge he came to recall his earlier birth and soon became jealous of the Jain Sangh. He then managed to spread plague among the Shreesangh, as a result of which a number of people began to die suddenly and instantly. Shreesangh requested Bhadrabahuswami to do something and by the sheer force of his shrutgyan (scriptural knowledge) he could correctly assess the entire situation and with a view to getting rid of the nuisance he composed Uvasaggahar Stotra. The impact of this great stotra (devotional song) was so great that the strength of Vyanter got greatly diminished. Acharyashri Bhadrabahuswami also composed Paryushan Kalpasutra which is popularly known as Kalpasutra. It is also believed that the wrote Niryukti on 10 sutras. He composed 4 Chhed sutras(a law book dealing with monastic offences) and wrote monumental works like Bhadrabahu Samhita and Vasudevcharit containing one lakh and twenty five thousand pads(verses). Thereby he imparted invaluable knowledge of the purvas(early canons) to Arya Sthulbhadra, and thus he managed to preserve the great heritage from perishing. He attained the unique achievement of intense meditation of Mahaprandhyan constantly for 12 years. Bhadrabahuswami is respected as the fifth and final shrutkevali in both the shwetambar and digambar tradtions.

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2.3. SHRI VAJRASWAMI Life of Shri Vajraswami, born yogi and the tenth and the last purvadhar, was a unique combination of penance, accomplishment and religious pursuit. The most outstanding feature of his life is that he acquired the knowledge of jati-smaran(memory of past birth) as soon as he was born. From the day he was born, he went for renunciation of worldly life and he lived as a devoted ascetic upto the age of eighty. Though Dhangiri and Sunanda of Tumbavan city were married, Sunanda was well aware about her husbands keen yearning for spiritual advancement. As Sunanda had a garbhasuchak dream, Dhangiri told her that soon she will have a support in her new-born son, and if she would permit he would pursue spiritual wellbeing by accepting initiation. Being an ideal Indian woman, she let him go his way. Sunanda delivered a baby boy in B.C.31 and there was great rejoicing in the family. As soon as the child was born, he acquired jatismaran knowledge of his earlier birth. Instantly he started crying, lest he should get caught up in the worldly entanglement of motherly love. Sunanda was so harassed and tormented by the childs crying day and night for over six months that out of sheer frustration she left the child in the sag of monk Dhangiri and surprisingly enough the child ceased crying as soon as he was put in the sag. Monk Dhangiri came to his Guru Aryasinhgiri carrying the sag. The Guru, having looked at the heavy sag, said that it was heavy like a thunderbolt. As the Guru opened the sag, he found a child in it and he named him vajra who was ultimately brought up by nuns and a Jain laywoman (Shravika). After a lapse of three years, Sunanda was overcome by her motherly love and she demanded her son. The matter was ultimately referred to the kings court and it was finally decided that the boy would belong to the person with whom he felt attached. Sunanda tried to win over the boy with toys,sweets and loving gestures but the boy did not budge an inch. Then the boys father Dhangiri lifted his rajoharan (a whiskbroom) and asked the child if he knew the ultimate truth and if he was anxious to go for life of restraint, he should accept the rajoharan so as to do away with the bondage of karma. Before Monk Dhangiri could complete his sentence, Vajra, the child,went to the Monk and sat in his lap and picking up the rajoharan began to fan him. The entire royal court was amazed and Sunanda was lost in deep thoughts-her husband, brother and son all had accepted initiation. Soon she decided to follow into their foot-steps. The gods tried twice to tempt the young Muni Vajraswami by offering him food by means of creating illusion in the forest but with the sheer power of his intelligence he could see through the divine illusion and refused the food. Thereupon, the gods granted him the vaikriya labdhi (supernatural power of assuming any bodily form) and the knowledge to fly in the sky. Once when there was very acute famine in Northern India, Vajraswami sent the entire sangh to Maheshwari Puri with the power of this akashgamini knowledge. No flowers were available there so he managed to supply 20 lakh flowers by means of a viman (celestial ariel car). He was a noble and worthy symbol of strength and sainthood. He passed away in A.D.57. With a view to making his inspiring memory everlasting, the Vajjishakha was established after his death.

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2.4. SHRI HARIBHADRASURI Acharya Shri Haribhadrasuriji, a great author with powerful personality, had written many books in Sanskrit and Prakrit. His versatile scholarship, unmatched knowledge, acute critical faculty and mastery of language have earned for him a distinguished place in the history of Indian literature. The 1444 books deemed to have been written by him are regarded as the most valuable treasure of knowledge of the Jain religion. He was the first commentator of Agmik (Jain canonical literature) literature and through his books he blazed a new trail in meditation. Uncommon and extraordinary was his life. He was the family priest of king Jitari of Chittor. Besides being an authority on Vedshastra (Vedas of Hindus) and Darshanshastra (Jain Philosophy), he possessed thorough knowledge in 14 faculties of studies. In his own times, there was nobody in the entire country to challenge and defeat him in debate and discussions. In Kali age he thought himself to be the only scholar with the perfect knowledge of scriptures and in his great arrogance had taken a vow that if anyone defeated him he would become a disciple of that scholar. Once upon a time, while he was passing by Dharmagar in a palanquin, he happened to listen to a gatha (verse) being sung in a tranquil and melodious voice. Pandit Haribhatt made numerous efforts to interpret its meaning but he failed to understand it. He had mastered four Vedas, all the Upnishads and eighteen Purans as also all the branches of knowledge and yet he failed to make out the meaning of the verses. He felt small and his pride in being knowledgeable began to melt. In all humility, he went to the Sadhviji and requested her to interpret the gatha for him. Sadhvi Mahattara Yakini requested him to come the next day in the presence of her Guru who would explain the meaning of the gatha. Accordingly, Acharya Jindattasuri arrived there the next day and offered an interpretation, whereupon Haribhatt became his disciple and in course of time Pandit Haribhatt came to be known as Acharya Haribhadrasuri. Since Sadhvi Yakini Mahattara had done an unusual obligation by way of exposing new horizons in the pursuit of knowledge, Haribhadrasuri regarded her as his mother. Now he disliked to be known by the epithet of Kalikalsarvagna (omniscient in the Kali age). As he acquired a deep understanding and knowledge of Jain scriptures, he called himself alpamati-a person having very little knowledge; he concluded every book that he wrote with an invariable expression of deep gratitude to Sadhvi Yakini Mahattara and introduced himself as Dharmaputra of Yakini Mahattara. Because of his hatred for the Jain religion Haribhatt used to say that it would be better to die by being crushed under the feet of a mad elephant than to seek shelter in a Jain Temple. Ironically enough the very Haribhatt had to seek a shelter in a Jain temple to save himself from a mad elephant. Having looked at the idol of Jina he had also joked saying your body itself is an evidence of your having relished sweet dishes, because if hunger struck, a tree it would not be fresh and green for ever. But strange are the ways of Nature. In course of time, he himself came to realize the significance and greatness of the Jain religion and the Jain temple and subsequently he modified his thoughts and words. It is so said that he used to write books at night in the light of a gem given to him by Lallig Sheth. His life-time is supposed to be from A.D.700 to 770.

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2.5 SHRI HIRVIJAYSURI Once Emperor Akbar was looking towards the main road from the balcony of his royal palace in Fatehpur Sikri. Meanwhile he saw a huge procession passing by, wherein at the center a Jain laywoman (shravika) named Champa sat in splendour and attired in expensive clothes. On inquiry, the emperor came to know that the shravika had undertaken fast for 6 months during which she had taken only boiled water from sun-rise to sun-set and no other food. The Emperor was greatly surprised and on asking the shravika he came to know that it was possible because of the blessings of religious saint like Guru Hirvijaysuri. The subedar of Ahmedabad and other Jain laymen (shravaks) requested Shri Hirvijaysuri to pay a visit to Akbar in the interest of Jain religion. In A.D.1582 Shri Hirvijaysuriji left the Gandhar port. In the course of his journey he gave religious discourses to an outlaw named Arjun Thakore and made him abjure his wicked ways. On the 13th day of Jyeshta month of A.D.1583, Shri Hirvijaysuriji reached Fatehpur. On seeing the Suriji arriving, Akbar descended from the throne and went to him and bowed to him. His three princes also bowed and paid their respects. In honour of Surijis arrival, very costly carpets were laid in the royal palace but Suriji refused to walk on them. Akbar was surprised. Hirvijaysuriji explained that Jain saints were forbidden to walk on land covered with cloth because that might kill the ants and other insects moving under the cloth. Akbar ordered the carpets to be removed and indeed there were many ants and insects underneath. As Akbar came to know that Suriji had made the journey of so many miles on foot, he was greatly surprised. Akbar wanted to know about his horoscope and future life. Whereupon Suriji said that only householders would read horoscopes and make predictions as they were required to earn a livelihood. Saints like him simply aspired for knowledge and ultimate bliss. Akbar, by way of deference to Suriji, requested him to accept some gold and silver. Thereupon Suriji said that he would not accept anything. Suriji added that if he was keen to offer anything, he should order to set free the birds and animals kept in the cages. Suriji also added that he should prohibit large-scale fishing in the huge pond named Dabar and should also issue a mandate to stop violence of any knid by anybody during the festivals of Paryushan. Akbar issued orders as was desired by Suriji. Moreover Akbar added 4 days on his own accord to the 8 days of Paryushan festival and ordered to stop the killing of animals for a total of 12 days. The mandate was also conveyed throughout his empire including Gujarat, Malwa, Ajmer, Delhi, Fatehpur, Lahore and far upto Multan. The Emperor also issued a mandate not to indulge in any sort of animal-killing in the vicinity of pilgrim places like Girnar, Taranga, Shatrunjaya, Kesariyaji, Abu, Rajgruhi and Sametshikharji. In Vikram Samvat 1640 Suriji was honoured with the title of Jagadguru (universal preceptor). Subsequently, Suriji toured Agra, Gwalior and other places and propagated Jain religion. As a result of his efforts, thouands of Hindus and Muslims gave up nonvegetarianism and alcoholism. Born in A.D.1527 in Oshwal family in Palanpur Shri Hirvijaysurijai became Acharya in A.D.1554. After preaching Akbar, he began his journey (vihar) at the age of 60. At that time there was a practice of charging toll-tax from every pilgrim at the Shatrunjaya Mahatirth. At the instance of Suriji, Emperor Akbar issued orders to abolish the tax. Suriji passed away in village Una (Saurashtra) in A.D.1596. Akbar provided 100 bigha land for his funeral rites.

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2.6. SHASANSAMRAT SHRI VIJAYNEMISURI Acharyashri Vijaynemisurishwarji had earned the title of the most competent Suri Chakravarti of the twentieth century. Right at the beginning of his saintly life Acharyashri had identified aims of his life, first of which was enhancement of knowledge. Besides preservation of scriptures, book-writing and publishing, he also provided useful guidance regarding systematic maintenance of libraries with invaluable religious books. It was at his instance and inspiration that the publication of Jain literature was undertaken for the first time by the jain community. His other aim was to evolve a tradition of knowledgeable and virtuous disciples. Consequently, he could groom Acharya, Munivars and a trained and devoted band of learned scholars which was a remarkable contribution to the Jain order. He undertook a journey, bare-footed, of thousands of miles ignoring the hazards to his life and gave a very moving sermon to the violently tempered fishermen and people of other communities. Once as a result of his touching sermon,fishermen of Datha village in Bhavnagar district set fire to thousands of fishing-nets and abandoned fishing for life-time. He managed to get the cruel practice of animal-sacrifice, in front of gods and goddesses, discontinued and revived the scheme of the animal-shelter-house. His other aim was the amelioration of places of pilgrimage and he was greatly devoted to tirtha (holy place of pilgrimage). At Kadambgiri, Sherisa, Matar, Ranakpur, Cambay(Khambhat) and in many villages he managed to undertake and carry out repairs and renovations of very old Jain temples. Moreover, as regards the court case pertaining to Shri Girnar tirtha with the Nawab of Junagadh, he took extreme pains for the protection of the tirtha. With a view to solving the difficult problem pertaining to various tirthas like Shri Sametshikharji, Shri Taranga, Shri Antrikshji etc. he showed discretion, deep understanding and when necessary he infused spirit of daring in the community. Sir Prabhashanker Patni, the then political dewan (prime-minister to the king) of Bhavnagar had told Anantrai Patni, his son and the successor dewan, When you feel that some particular work is complicated and difficult to be executed, you just approach my bearded guruji of Kadambgiri and seek his blessings. The bearded guru meant Shasansamrat Shri Vijaynemisuriswarji. He had been a very respected personality among the Jains and non-Jains because of his deep knowledge of the scriptures, very impressive style of discourse, severe religious discipline and foresight. Shri Madanmohan Malviyaji, another reputed scholar of the country, felt fortunate in having an opportunity of religious discourse with him. Even kings, monarchs and leading merchants were greatly impressed by his style of discourse and his impressive personality. Despite such immense fame he was extremely modest and introvert. He was born in Mahuva on the 1st day of Kartak Sud in V.S.1929 (A.D.1873). He left for the heavenly abode at the same place-i.e.in Mahuva on the New Year day in V.S.2006(A.D.1950):i.e.born and passed away on the same day and at the same time-i.e.Saturday;20ghadi and 12pal. 77 years long spell of his career is full of such actions and achievements that the entire period is known as Shashansamrat Nemisuri age. His 8 chief disciples were versatile and learned scholars of various disciplines of knowledge. He holds a position in the first rank as an Acharya to have made invaluable contribution to the restoration of spiritual and moral values.

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2.7 SADHVI(FEMALE MONK) CHANDANBALA Mahasati (female ascetic) Chandanbala occupies a unique place among the leading 16 satis of Jain religious history. Besides being learned, virtuous and devoted to penance, she became the first sadhvi(nun) of the sadhvi sangh(order of nuns) founded by Bhagwan Mahavir and thereafter she enjoyed the honour of being the first sadhvi-president(head of the order of nuns) of 35000 sadhvis. Her life-sketch conveys the message that virtue is greater than caste or creed. She was the daughter of King Dadhivahan of Champa and queen Dharini and was also known as Vasumati. It was from her mother that she had imbibed the virtues of tolerance, renunciation and religious faith. As a result of such grooming, she desired spiritual growth and she decided not to marry. Knowing her mind and intentions full well, her parents allowed her very willingly to remain firm in her vow. Meanwhile, Shatanik, the king of Kaushambi attacked Champa and Chandanbala was sold as a dasi ( a female slave). But Dhanvah Sheth paid adequate money and saved Chandanbala from becoming a courtesan. Dhanvah Sheth had treated her as his own daughter. Once Dhanvah Sheth happened to return from a tour and as usual she went to him to wash his feet; meanwhile, in order to save her loose hair from falling into the dirty water, Dhanvah Sheth lifted it up with the good intention. Mula Shethani, Dhanvah Sheths wife happened to see this sight and she became immensely jealous. Once when Dhanvah Sheth was away from the town, Mula Shethani took the opportunity and cut off Chandanbalas hair; then her feet were chained and she was driven into a cellar. She had to go without food and water for three full days. When Dhanvah Sheth returned he sensed the situation and decided to call a blacksmith. Meanwhile he gave her some boiled unsplit black beans, kept there for the cattle, in a winnowing basket. It so happened that Bhagwan Mahavir arrived in this Kaushambi city. As per the Jain tradition, he had made secret resolutions regarding food-stuff i.e. to accept only boiled unsplit black beans and that too if they were lying at the corner of a winnowing basket. As regards the place, the resolution was to the effect that such black beans be accepted only from a person having one foot include a threshold and the other one out of it. As regards the time, he had resolved that such food be accepted only if the time for accepting alms, that is the lunchtime, had already passed. As regards bhav(sentiment) element, it was so resolved that she should be a princess subjected to slavery, her feet should be chained, head be fully shaven, eyes be full of tears; she should have undertaken aththam(continuous three days fasting) penance and should be a holy sati. He had resolved that food be accepted only if such a woman offered alms. Bhagwan Mahavir, thus, accepted alms from Chandanbala after five months and twentyfive days. Everyone realized the truth. Her chains broke miraculously. She regained her beautiful hair. As soon as Bhagwan Mahavir accepted alms from her, there was divine shower of flowers. King Shatanik and Mula Shethani begged to be forgiven for all their misdeeds. Chandanbala became the first disciple of Bhagwan Mahavir and being a torchbearer for the mankind, she ultimately attained divine knowledge (kevalgnana).

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2.8. SADHVI PUSHPACHULA Sadhvi Pushpachulas life-sketch is a unique example of devotion to guru (spiritual teacher). Queen Pushpavati, the wife of Pushpaketu, the king of Pruthvipur, gave birth to twins-a baby-girl and a baby-boy. The boy was named Pushpachul and the girl was named Pushpachula. There was great love between the brother and the sister so much so that they could not stay apart even for a second. As they grew, the king started thinking about their marriage. But he was worried as to how his twin children would bear their separation which was inevitable in the event of their marriage. After considering all the facts the king decided to get them married to each other with great hesitation. The kings decision was based on his conviction that both of them were the best suitable partners for each other This incident caused a great commotion and pain in the mind of the queen Pushpavati. Such a life, full of attachment and affection, created a desire for renunciation. She devoted herself to severe penance and attained goddesshood of the divine world. In course of time, Pushpachul and Pushpachula became the king and the queen respectively of Pruthvipur. With her power of clairvoyance, their mother now as a goddess in the divine world, watched the heinous deeds of her daughter and the son. The goddess was greatly distressed and she so contrived the things that queen Pushpachula had the dreams of heaven and hell. There upon queen Pushpachula asked Acharya Arnikaputra about the meaning of those dreams. Unfolding the meaning of those dreams, Acharyashri said that the soul is friendly to a person who does good deeds, while it serves as an enemy to one who performs evil deeds. Soon queen Pushpachula felt immense repentence. The preachings of Acharya Arnikaputra dispelled and removed her ignorance and infatuation. She asked her husbands permission for living an ascetics life. He granted the permission but he put the condition that after her initiation she would take alms only from his place. With his power of scriptural knowledge, Acharya Arnikaputra could foresee a severe famine, so he sent his disciples to far away regions. But because of his extreme old age, he was compelled to stay in the same place. With unfailing faith, Sadhvi Pushpachula concentrated all her efforts on the care and service of her guru. Consequently, she acquired Kevalagnana (absolute knowledge). Once she returned with alms from outside in heavy rain. Acharya Arnikaputra questioned her about it and she justified her action of bringing food in the rains. Thereupon the guru realized that Pushpachula had attained absolute knowledge. The guru therefore begged her apology for taking service from her though she was a kevali (the isolated one separated from karmas). Sadhvi Pushpachula thought that it was her great fortune that a saintly guru like him had shown a very noble gesture to her. Sadhvi Pushpachula lived during the time of Bhagwan Mahavir. Her life-sketch illustrates the fact that noble actions yield good rewards and evil actions yield bitter fruits. Her evil karmas led her to a wrong path, whereas her mother led her to a righteous path. Moreover, it was because of her devoted service to the guru that she acquired pure and absolute knowledge. Besides, the quality of humility inherent in the Jain religion is also reflected in the apologetic behaviour of Sadhu Arnikaputra. Such humility only makes one great and noble.

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2.9

SADHVI YAKINI MAHATTARA

Two disciples of Acharya Haribhadrasuriji, namely, Hans and Paramhans were killed at the hands of followers of other religion. Acharyashri suffered great mental commotion. The shock of the killing of his loving disciples caused a sense of revenge in him. Acharyashri decided to kill 1444 students and lecturers of Bauddha Vihar by roasting them alive in boiling oil. Anger and revenge leave no place for discretion. With a view to executing his malicious pain, Acharyashri closed the doors of upashraya(a place for the stay of Jain monks & nuns) and boiled oil in a huge vessel on a furnace. With the sheer power of incantation, Acharyashri called all the students and lecturers and made them stand in a line. The infuriated Acharyashri planned and intended to call the students and the lecturers one by one and fry them alive in the boiling oil. Yakini Mahattara came to know about this malicious plan of the Acharya and soon she came rushing to the upashraya. The doors were closed and Acharya Haribhadrasuri told Yakini Mahattara whom he regarded as his own mother, I am engaged in some rites. Please come after some time. In a firm voice she said,I need you urgently. Kindly open the doors. The doors were opened and Yakini Mahattara paid her respects to Acharyashri and then she said that she had come for atonement. Acharya Haribhadrasuri, the learned scholar introduced himself as the son of Yakini Mahattara because previously he had been unable to understand a shloka (verse) of Yakini Mahattara and his pride as a scholar had suffered a great set-back. Having been defeated in learning, he ultimately accepted initiation from Jindattasuriji. As Yakini Mahattara had led the Acharya to the righteous path, he regarded her as his own mother. Hence Shri Haribhadrasuri became anxious to know as to what sin such a nun had committed that necessitated atonement. Yakini Mahattara told that while she had been walking, a frog was unknowingly crushed under her feet. Her soul was suffering great torment because of such violence committed by her. She wanted to have atonement because if her life were to end without the sin being duly atoned for, her life would be that of a violator. Acharya Haribhadrasuri raised his voice and said,Oh! You did not care for a living being ! You must make atonement for it. Yakini Mahattara very respectfully accepted the atonement but politely added, I have secured atonement for a sub-human being like a frog unknowingly killed by me. But you are engaged in deliberate violence by way of killing 1444 human beings. What would be the atonement for this killing? These words of Yakini Mahattara dispelled the anger and fury of Acharyashri Haribhadra. The lecturers and students who were called by sheer power of incantation were sent back. As an atonement for his malicious desire, he composed 1444 books elucidating human virtues like forebearance, tolerance etc. Animosity gave way to learning and scholarship. Acharya Haribhadrasuri always respected Sadhvi Yakini Mahattara and he used to accept the fact that thanks to Sadhviji, he had found the royal road of Jainism that liberated himself from the cycle of births.

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2.10

SADHVI PAHINIMATA

Pahini was the wife of Sheth Sachig of Dhandhuka and was a sister of the renowned merchant Neminath. One night Pahini dreamt that somebody was prompting her to accept the divine jewel named Chintamani. She accepted the jewel in her dream and dedicated that jewel to her guru. She had tears of joy in her eyes and just at that time her eyes opened. Pahini thought that was gurudev Devchandrasuriji was in the town at that, time it was better to consult him regarding the interpretation of her dream. Acharya Devchandrasuri told her that she would give birth to a child who would be a jewel among men and in his later age he shall become a great guru. The words of the guru gave her immense joy. In A.D.1089, she gave birth to a baby-boy. The parents named him Changdev;chang meaning the best. The little Changdev once sat on a pat(cot) of the Acharya. Pahini had immense faith in her guru. It was but natural for a mother to desire that her son should achieve the highest attainment in life,since she regarded sadhuta(the ascetic way of life)as the ultimate achievement in life. Changdevs parents gave him permission for the initiation. The mother, who had given birth to such a great personality, also followed in the footsteps of her son. His parents were present on the occasion and so greatly were they inspired that, together with the son, the mother also accepted the path of penance and became a sadhvi; Pahini was given the title of Pravartini (head of the order of nuns). Changdev was named Somachandra and in due course of time he was conferred the title of Acharya and was named Hemchandrasuri. Kalikalsarvagna (omniscient in the Kali age) Hemchandracharya was a treasure-house of knowledge and he wrote many books on numerous and varied subjects. He provided guidance to the rulers of Gujarat like Jaysinha Siddharaj and Kumarpal. He enhanced the glory of the Jain religion. His impact was felt by the commonest man as well as by the kings. He had undertaken five vows in his life and had controlled his senses and it set an example to others. He was full of compassion and mercy. Sadhvi Pahini was constantly engrossed in the pursuit of knowledge and meditation. In the heart of her hearts, she felt extreme joy at the extraordinary knowledge and wisdom of her son Hemchandrasuri as also at his unusual yogisiddhi and great religious impact. Shri Hemchandracharya also took utmost care of his mother whom he greatly adored. Sadhviji was bed-ridden and the group of nuns around her was busy with her religious worship. Sadhvi Pahini now was engrossed in penance and meditation. In the course of his journey on foot, Acharya Hemchandracharya happened to arrive at Patan, the town in which lived Pravartini Pahini who had renounced food and water. Many devotees came for her darshan. All of them paid high respects to Sadhvi Pahini who, as a mother, had dedicated her young son to the cause of religion. When Pravartini Pahini passed away at last, the Jains spent rupees three crore for the philanthropic activities. The son who had renounced everything in the world made unique contribution of three lakh shlokas (verses) in memory of her great mother who had great faith in religion.

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2.11

SADHVI SUNANDA ( RUPSEN )

The life-sketches of Sunanda and Rupsen show the unusual way in which the theory of karma operates. Having been a Sadhvi, Sunanda had imbibed the virtue of renunciation. As a result of her penance, she had acquired clairvoyance. As she knew about her previous births, once she told her guruni (female spiritual teacher) that she wanted to give sermon to a person named Rupsen who was entangled in the cycle of births because of his infatuation for her. Sadhvi Sunanda added that if guruni would permit her to go to Vidhya Dwip, she could emancipate Rupsen who was then born as an elephant. Having been permitted by guruni, Sadhvi Sunanda, alongwith four other sadhvis, arrived at Sugram for a rainy residence. Sadhvi Sunanda came to know that having been born as an elephant. Rupsen had become a threat to the civic life. Whoever happened to cross his way, was crushed to death under his feet. If people happened to see him from a far, they used to run helter-skelter. Because of his terror, people avoided to go to the outskirts of the town. With a view to imparting sermon to this elephant, Sadhvi Sunanda boldly went near the elephant despite peoples warnings. As Sadhvi Sunanda dauntlessly went forward, the screaming elephant came rushing towards her but as his eyes met with those of the Sadhvijis, he cooled down and stood quietly, as if remembering his love for her in the previous birth. Sadhvi Sunanda told him,How long do you intend to suffer for your infatuation ? You have wasted as many as six births and you are just on the verge of wasting this seventh birth too. Sadhvi Sunanda told the elephant about his previous births. She said,O Rupsen ! When you had a birth as a human being, you lost your senses out of your infatuation for me and instead of getting me, you were crushed to death under a wall. Your dreams remained unfulfilled. Driven by your attachment for me, you came to me as an ambryo but at that time I was an unmarried woman, and the embryo was destroyed skillfully. In your next birth, you were born to a female-serpent living in a garden of king Pruthvivallabha of Kshitipratishthit town. That time I happened to be the queen of king Pruthvivallabha and you chased me and finally my husband Pruthvivallabha killed you. In the fourth birth you were born a crow. While I was enjoying a music party, alongwith my husband king Pruthvivallabha, you created nuisance by your disturbing crowing. The king tried to drive you away, but as you happened to have great attachment for me, you did not go away; hence the king ordered his men to kill you. Your next and the fifth birth was that of a swan. Once I was sitting under a tree, with thich foliage, in the company of the king Pruthvivallabha; you were sitting nearby as a swan. Out of your sheer joy you were singing sweetly. Just at that time, a crow excreted and flew away. The excretion of the crow fell on the king and believing that it was the swans doing he became so angry that he killed and was cooked for our meal; when I was having my meal with the king just at that time a muni told me the story of our previous births. Having come to know about the unfailing operation of karma, as also the results of infatuation, I accepted initiation for the redemption of my sins. Having listened to the stories of his six previous births, the ascetic-like elephant died in deep meditation and acquired the status of a god of the eighth lok. In course of time, he attained salvation. So also, with the redemption of her karmas, Sadhvi Sunanda acquired absolute knowledge and immortal status.

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GREAT PRESIDENT (MAHAMANTRI) ABHAYKUMAR 2.13 The message of Bhagwan Mahavir had spread far and wide and the impact was felt by the common people as well as the kings and the emperors. One of the chief devotees of Bhagwan Mahavir was Shrenik Bimbisar, the king of Magadh. His son Abhaykumar was also Mahavirs chief devotee and there are historical references about him in the records of the Swetambara and Digambara tradition, and also in the ancient Buddha agam majzimanikay. It is also believed that Abhaykumar had once met and honoured Gautam Buddha. This reflects his reverence for other religious and his catholicity. The minister to king Shrenik, Abhaykumar, was an embodiment of supreme intelligence, religiosity and detachment. His keen intellect had helped to solve many a thorny problem. It, then, became customary to write the words may we be blessed with the intellect of Abhaykumar, in the account books worshipped during the festival of Deepawali. Once father Bimbisar challenged his son Abhaykumar to retrieve a ring from an empty well without descending into it. Abhaykumar threw cowdung into the well and allowed it to dry. The ring stuck to the dung cake and now he filled the well with water. The cake, with the ring in it, swelled to the rim and thus the ring was retrieved. Similarly, he had helped the king to nab the thief stealing mangoes from the garden. Once the king wanted to learn the skill of mesmerism in order to attract people towards him from a person of low caste. But he could not. Abhaykumar found out the cause of his failure. He said,You can not learn any skill or art sitting on your throne. Instal the person of low caste in a high seat as your teacher and then only the goddess of knowledge will be pleased with you.Thus, he established the supremacy of a teacher. Abhaykumar was renowned as a highly intelligent, just, loving and an ideal minister. He used to learn about peoples problem traveling in cognito and this helped him to defeat conspiracies against his kingdom. There are many such instances to prove his razor-sharp intellect and ingenuity and Jain literature is replete with stories testifying to his qualities. He was also generous, courteous and self-abnegating. When the king Shrenik thought of appointing him his successor, he, with the consent of all, instead became a disciple of Bhagwan Mahavir. Abhaykumar traveled far and wide and spread the message of Mahavir. He visited a region known as Parasya in those days, and known now as Iran. Thr prince of Parasya was Abhaykumars friend. The prince, influenced by the preachings of Mahavir, had also become his disciple later. It is said that, at the request of Adrak, Abhaykumar had sent a golden idol to him. The darshan of the idol caused the desire for vairag (renunciation) in Adrak and he set out on a journey to ancient India. The members of his family tried in vain to dissuade him. He, then, met Bhagwan Mahavir and surrendered himself to him. Abhaykumar, thus, proved himself a competent, intelligent minister and also a highly devoted monk. In the Jain tradition, Abhaykumar symbolises an ideal blend of intellect, devotion and sacrifice. He renounced the worldly pleasures and chose the difficult path of penance. All the princes of Shrenik Bimbisar-Abhaykumar, Meghkumar, Nandisen and Varisen led a life of renunciation though born into afflunce and luxuries. Under the spell of Bhagwan Mahavirs influence, they gave up everything and walked on the difficult path of penance and spirituality.

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2.14

PUNIYA SHRAVAK

Puniya Shravak symbolised ideal worship and devotion. He was a devotee whose devotion was praised by Bhagwan Mahavir himself. A resident of Rajgruhi, he came under the spell of Mahavirs discourses and began to practise aparigraha (abandonment of worldly possessions). He embraced poverty willingly and gave away all the wealth he had inherited from his father. He would be happy and contented with what he earned from making cotton threads. He believed that contentment had nothing to do with possessions, with wealth or acquisitiveness. It is simply a state of mind. Being a truly devoted soul, he held co-religionists in high esteem and would invite, everyday, one of them and feed him with love and affection. He practiced samayik (maintaining equinimity for a set period of time) with a heart full of devotion. Once he could not worship with his usual concentration and was disturbed. He asked his wife to find out the reason. This set her thinking. After a long pause, she said, I found in my way a few cakes of dung and since they belonged to no one, I brought them home. Puniya shravak said,You did not do the right thing. If no one had claimed those cakes, they must belong to the state. Go and deposit them back where you found them. It was then that his conscience stopped pricking him. A slight aberration, and he would be disturbed. Once the king Shrenik asked Tirthankar Bhagwan Mahavir about the state of his soul after death-where would it go? Thereupon Mahavir replied,To hell. The king wanted to know what he should do to avoid such a fate. Mahavir replied,You can avoid going to hell provided you get the punya(good deeds) acquiring from one samayik of Puniya Shravak. The king approached him with the request. Shravak asked him to find out from Mahavir the real worth(value) of a samayik. Bhagwan said that it was difficult to set any value to his samayik as it was invaluable. Meru is the tallest mountain. The value of one Samayik of Puniya Shravak was worth the value of piles of money as tall as the Meru. Bhagwan Mahavir explained it differently. He said,One goes to buy a horse and the price of a leash for the horse will be equal to the total value of money in king Shreniks coffers. But the price of the horse will be worth the value of one samayik. Shrenik realised that his entire wealth would not be able to buy even one samayik of Puniya. He felt the highest reverence for his devotion. Puniyas life was a life of renunciation, self-denial and non-possessiveness, the life of a true shravak. How great must be the one who was praised by Bhagwan Mahavir himself.! The importance of samayik manifested itself in the life of Puniya. Only one samayik performed with a pure heart and devotion can put one on the path of liberation and help to ward off evils. Scriptures says that if one donates gold everyday and the other performs samayik, the one who donates gold cannot stand in comparison to the other who performs samayik.

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2.15

GREAT KING(MAHARAJ) KUMARPAL

The life of Rajarshi (king with the attributes of a sage) Kumarpal, symbolising bravery, justice and compassion, is a glorious chapter in the saga of Jainism. Known as Parmahart Shravak, Kumarpal, an apostle of non-violence, was a powerful monarch. A man of exceptional talents, he had carved out a niche for himself not only in the history of Gujarat but of India and his life was full of some extraordinary events. His life was a blend of grievous calamities and glorious achievements, a blend of joys and sorrows. Born in a noble family, he suffered kings ire, separation from family, thirst and starvation and had to beg and roam in forests. Finally he defeated his enemy, got back his kingdom and embraced religion to die a coveted death. It was a life fit to be a subject of an epic. Profuse details about Kumarpal are available in Dwayashray of Hemchandracharya, in the play Moharajparajay by Yashpal and Kumarpalpratibodh of Somprabhacharya. Such a detailed history of no other king is available in India! Born in A.D.1093, Kumarpal was married to Bhopaldevi. Siddharaj had no issue and hence Kumarpal was to succeed him to the throne. However Siddharaj did not want Kumarpal to inherit the throne of Gujarat. He, therefore, tried to kill Kumarpal but didnt succeed. Hemchandracharya had been kind to him and helped him many a time. In A.D.1143, at the age of fifty, Kumarpal ascended to the throne of Gujarat. At the instance of kalikalsarvagna(all-knowing) scholar Hemchandracharya, the new king banned gambling in the kingdom. He proclaimed: The people at large are violent and are at one anothers throat. Lying is a sin and illicit relationship with a woman is a worse sin; but violence to living organism is the worst of all sins. I ordain that no one should profit from violence. Those who practise violence should give it up and they will be fed at the kings kitchen for three years if they have no means of subsistence.He instructed his officials to give severe punishment to those who indulged in violence. Kumarpals devotion to non-violence inspired the kings in the neighbouring countries too to practise non-violence. They prohibited any form of violence committed for the sake of religion or livelihood. The offering of animals to goddess kantakeshwari was also prohibited. He closed down slaughter houses at the instance of Hemchandracharya. The compassion for all living organism that one finds in Gujarat is the result of sustained campaign launched by Kumarpal at the instance of Hemchandracharya. He was made to accept the twelve vows of samyaktva and grihastha and Hemchandracharya, then, conferred on him the title Rajshri (best among the kings). He also freed Kumarpal from divine curse. His routine included waking up to the chanting of devotional songs, recitation of Vitrag stotra and Yogshastra, partaking of food only after offering it to the gods, lighting of a lamp, singing of psalms and reflecting on the lives of great beings before going to bed. During the period of fourteen years of his rule he donated gold worth crores of rupees, commissoned writing of twenty-one volumes, effected friendship treaties with fourteen countries, undertook seven pilgrimages, constructed 1444 shrines, and renovated 1600 shrines. He is remembered in the history as an ideal king of exceptional talents. In A.D.1173, Hemchandracharya, aged eighty-four, breathed his last and Kumarpal the disciple of the great master, died at the age of eighty in A.D.1174.

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2.16

SHETH SAVA-SOMA

Savchand Sheth of Saurashtra had a flourishing business. It transcended the limits of his own state and had spread overseas. In the business world in Delhi, Agra and Ahmedabad he had tremendous goodwill, and it was said that his promissory-note would never bounce. Once he lost about twelve ships laden with precious goods, in the high seas. It was a grievous blow to Savchand. The loss was huge and in no time the rich businessman turned a pauper. The creditors demanded their money back and Savchand was in dire state. He did not know what to do. Like the proverbial rats leaving the sinking ship, all deserted him in his adverse condition. But all is not lost for ever for good people. Every black cloud has a silvery lining. There is always a good Samaritan who comes to the rescue of one in distress. The legend goes that saint Narsinh Mehta had written a promissory-note addressed to Sheth Shamalsha. Similarly, Sheth Savchand of Vanthali in Saurashtra wrote a promissory note addressed to Sheth Somchand of Ahmedabad. It said,give one lakh cash to Thakore (owner of village) Surajmalji on presenting this hundi(promissory-note). Savchand had never met Sheth Somchand and was skeptical about the acceptance of the note and getting the money. Two drops of tear fell on the note from Savchands eyes. He gave the note to Thakore Surajmalji and bade him goodbye. He arrived in Ahmedabad and reached the house of Somchand. Somchand read the note but the name of Savchand did not sound familiar to him. He asked the secretary to inquire. The secretary looked up all his accounts books but nowhere did he find the name of Savchand. For three days Somchand and his staff searched in vain for Savchands name in their books. He again read the note minutely and saw two spots, caused by the tear drops, on the note. That explained the whole story. He said to himself, These tears are of a man in distress. He has written his note with full trust in me and I must not betray that trust. Here is an opportunity for me to use my wealth for a right cause and I must not miss it. He instructed his secretary to hand over the sum of rupees one lakh to the bearer of the note, though Savchand Sheths name was nowhere to be found in the accounts books. The secretary was surprised but obeyed the masters order. Thakore Surajmalji returned with the money and Savchands joy knews no bounds. As good luck would have it, the ships, supposed to be lost, returned safely. Savchand, accompanied by Thakore Surajmalji, arrived at the house of Somchand to repay the amount. He handed a bag containing rupees three lakh to Somchand Sheth who refused to take it saying he had lent only one lakh and with interest it would come to a little more, but not three lakh in any case. Savchand pleaded with him saying that it was he who had extended the helping hand when he was in dire strait. But Somchand did not budge and the debate continued. At last a solution was hammered out with the help of the wise people of the town. It was decided to undertake a pilgrimage and spend the money to help the poor and the needy. They all reached Shatrunjaya Mahatirth and began the project of temple-making and helping the poor. The temples bear the names SavaSoma, a mute testimony to the charity, philanthropy and humanity of the two. Theirs is a story to inspire people to be good samritans, to be charitable and to extend the helping hand to one who needs help.

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2.17

KARMA SHAH

Tolashah of Chittod was in deep agony. The glory and sanctity of the Shri Shatrunjaya Tirth that he used to worship everyday in the morning was being defiled at the hands of the foreigners. The moment Tolashah came to know that Ahmmad Sikandar, son of Mohmmad Begado, had damaged and destroyed derasar and other idols of Shatrunjaya Tirth, he became restless. He felt greatly disturbed and determined to save the tirth from further defilement. Tolashahs sixth and the youngest son Karmashah was a witness to his fathers agony and he also began to contemplate as to when would he be able to undertake renovation of the place of pilgrimage and restore its sanctity. And it so happened that Acharya Ratnasinhsuri told Tolashah to forget his agony about the Shatrunjaya Tirth because his son was to fulfill that task. At that time upadhyay Vinaymandan was frequently giving sermons to Karmashah about the Shatrunjaya Tirth. In the meantime, Acharya Shri Vijaydansuriji arrived at Chittod and he also inspired Karmashah to undertake this great task. In 1583, Bahadursha was made the sultan of Gujarat. Prior to becoming the emperor of Gujarat, Bahadursha had enjoyed Tolashahs hospitality. On having a small quarrel with his father, Prince Bahadursha had come and stayed with Tolasha for some days and this had resulted in close friendship between Bahadursha and Karmashah. While going to Gujarat from Chittod, he asked for some money to meet the expenses on way and Karmashah gave him rupees one lakh unconditionally. As Karmashah came to know about Bahadurshas installation as the Sultan of Gujarat, he came to Ahmedabad to pay a courtesy-call. The Sultan welcomed him with great respect and repaid Rupees one lakh that he had borrowed from him. Moreover he inquired if there was anything that he could do for him, since he was greatly obliged to Karmashah. Karmashah told that it was his utmost desire to install an idol of his Lord at the Shri Shatrunjaya Tirth and in that he wanted the royal permission. The Sultan issued an order to that effect. From Ahmedabad Karmashah left for Cambay (Khambhat) and informed Upadhyay Shri Vinaymandanji about the incident and requested him to come to the Shatrunjaya Tirth. Karmashah led the shreesangh to Palitana. Khan Mazadkhan, the suba (governor of a province) of Sorath was unwilling that the glory of Shri Shatrunjaya Tirth be restored but his will did not prevail over the order of the Sultan. Upadhyay Vinaymandanji came to Palitana together with an assemblage of monks and nuns. The work of renovation of the original jinprasad (Jain temple) was carried out; simultaneously the mammani stone that was retained by chief minister Vastupal was dug out and an idol of Tirthankar Bhagwan Rushabhdev was carved from that special stone. Karmashah alongwith chhaRi sangh ( a congregation on pilgrimage practising six special vows ) came to Palitana. A grand function was organised for the anjanshalaka(idol installation ceremony) of the jin pratima which was defiled by Ahmmad Sikandar in past. This was replaced by the installation of a new idol of Bhagwan Rushabhadev. This was the sixteenth grand renovation function of Shri Shatrunjaya Tirth. It was attended by about 10 acharyas, including Acharya Somajaya.

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2.18

SULSA

Bhagwan Mahavir was once giving his discourses in Champanagari and he saw Ambad parivrajak (wandering monk) proceeding towards Rajgruhi. He stopped him and said,On reaching Rajgruhi, tell Shravika Sulsa that Mahavir has wished her dharmalabh (increase in righteousness). Ambad parivrajak started thinking about Sulsa and her piety and devoutness since Bhagwan Mahavir also held her in high esteem. He thought of testing her devoutness and assumed the from of Yati and asked for sachitta (living matter), but Sulsa remained uperturbed. Then he assumed the form of Brahma and the entire city gathered for his worship but Sulsa was her usual self, undisturbed. Next day parivrajak was Shiva incarnate, and on third and fourth day he was Vishnu and Tirthankar (builders of the ford) incarnate. Tirthankar is worshipped by sixty four Indras and the parivrajak assumed the form of twenty-fifth tirthankar. He thought that Sulsa would at least come for the tirthankars darshan but she didnt. The entire population of the city turned up for the darshan except Sulsa. Ambad, therefore, sent an invitation saying that it was strange that one who was so devout did not care to come for tirthankars darshan! Sulsa replied to the messenger: Gentlemen ! the man who claims to be twenty fifth tirthankar is no tirthankar but an impostor. When tirthankar arrives, the entire world comes to know about it. In the case of this imposter, nothing of the sort has happened. On the contrary it is he who has to invite people for his darshan. Ambad, then, realised that Sulsa was no ordinary woman. He, at, once arrived at Sulsas house. He met her and said,You are fortunate. Bhagwan himself remembers you and wishes you dharmalabh.On hearing these words, Sulsa was thrilled and overjoyed. She lay prostrate on the ground in the direction of where Bhagwan was seated and began worshipping him. Sulsas devoutness and piety touched Ambads heart. Sulsa was a virtuous, peace-loving woman and her heart was filled with devotion. She could not beget a child and had asked her husband Nag to remarry but he declined to do so. Then she began severe penance and it pleased Indra so much that he praised her devotion before the assembly of gods; but Harinaigmeshi dev decided to test her steadfast devotion. He went to her, disguised as a monk, and asked for lakshapak oil. Sulsa brought a pot of oil but the God, deliberately, dropped the pot and the oil spilled over the ground. She brought four pots and each was broken by the god, but Sulsa was neither angry nor perturbed. She was calm and composed. The god was pleased with her behaviour, her composure and above all her devotion. He blessed her and she begot many sons. Sulsas sons were well-versed in religion, scriptures, ethics and even arts. But, unfortunately, they all died fighting king Chetak. Sulsa was drowned in grief. Abhaykumar consoled her and her husband Nag, saying grief results in formation of karma. Sulsa spent the remaining years as a shravika and died while in meditation and went to heaven. She was to be born Nirmam, the fifteenth Tirthankar in next chovisi. Sulsas life is a shining example of steadfastness, utter devoutness, severe penance, nobility and equanimity-an example worth emulation !

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2.19

MANORAMA

Sudarshan Sheth was a man of sterling character and was put to test very often. Queen Abhaya was the consort of king Dadhivahan of Champapuri city of a country called Ang. She was proud of her beauty and believed that she could ensnare any man. If apsaras (nymphs) could ensnare rishis(sages) who practiced severe penance, it was easier for her to make an ordinary man like Sudarshan deviate from his righteous path. Kapila, wife of the purohit, had also made overtures to Sheth Sudarshan but he did not fall into the trap, and she also wanted to avenge her defeat. Once Sudarshan had just finished his meditation, when he saw servants of queen Abhaya approaching him. He was bound and brought to her court. She tried different tricks to bewitch him but failed. She even tried to caress his body but Sudarshan was determined to protect his character. He decided to be in a state of Kayotsarg (meditation-posture) and not to eat anything till the ordeal was over. Abhaya had not been successful in leading him astray and her pride was wounded. She caused bruises over her body with her nails and alleged that Sudarshan had tried to violate her chastity. He was produced before the king. King Dadhivahan knew that Sudarshan had a spotless character. When asked about the queens allegation of rape, he chose not to open his mouth. He knew that if he told the truth, the queen would be in trouble. It was better, he thought, not to say anything and suffer the consequences himself. The king ordered Sudershan to be hanged. His face was smeared with black and the body was coloured red. He was seated on a donkey with garlands of exotic flowers. With the beating of broken drums, he was taken round the village. Sudarshan was deep in meditation. The peoples faith in his spotless character had been rudely shaken but his wife was unperturbed having unshakeable faith in his incorruptible character. She thought that the cause of her husbands predicament was some evil deeds committed in the previous birth. The only way out of an adverse situation was prayer, she thought, and began to pray. Sudarshan too was deep in meditation. The courtiers were busy announcing the impending death of Sudarshan for his alleged misdeed. He was to be publicly executed. Manorama prayed and vowed to observe fasts till Sudarshans innocence was proved. Shasandevi was pleased by her sincere prayer, devotion and faith in her husbands character. She blessed her and said that Sudarshans life would be spared. Sudarshan was taken to the gallows but the rope broke and in its place people saw a throne. People burst into applause and queen Abhaya stood exposed. She and the king asked for forgiveness and mahasati Manorama and Sheth Sudarshan stood vindicated. It was the triumph of their righteousness. Virtuous people, almost as a rule, have to suffer, have to face ordeals. The same held true for Sudarshan and Manorama. Sudarshans character and Manoramas religious faith were tested. Manorama never doubted Sudarshans character and she thought that the allegation against him was the result of past karma. The only course open to her was to pray to tide over the crisis. At last both, Sudarshan and Manorama, came through the ordeal unscathed.

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2.20

ANUPAMADEVI

Anupama was Tejpals wife; her complexion was dark and even her body was not that beautiful but she possessed extraordinary intelligence. She showed uncommon commonsense in solving complicated problems not only of the family life but those of political life as well. Tejpal and Anupamadevi both were devoted to religion and as such the ascetics were ever worshipped with great reverence by them. Once Anupamadevi was giving alms to the Jain monks; meanwhile the vessel of alms slipped from the hands of one of the Yatis and Anupamadevis clothes became fully soaked with ghee from that vessel. Tejpal, the minister, was standing nearby and as he saw this, he was just on the verge of losing his temper. He became enraged as he suspected that something ill-auspicious would happen as a result of spilling of ghee. But Aunpamadevi handled the situation very skillfully and said,O! What would have been my position, had I been born to a ghee-dealer? But I feel fortunate today since I have secured the most desired though rare ablution of ghee from the vessel of the guru. As he listened to Anupamadevi, Tejpals temper cooled down. Once Vastupal and Tejpal, the two brothers set out on a pilgrimage of Shatrunjaya Tirth and Girnar Tirth. The ministers family had left for the pilgrimage with whatever wealth they had. On their way both the brothers rested for a while near the village Hadala; suddenly it occurred to them that in the Sorath region in Saurashtra even the great and mighty were looted at the hands of the dacoits. Hence, they decided to hide one third of their wealth somewhere in the forest. At the fall of the night, as both the brothers were digging the earth so as to hide their wealth, they found to their surprise a vessel containing gold-coins. They had serious reflections as to while they intended to hide the wealth under the ground, they were rewarded with even more wealth from the ground itself. They were also puzzled as to what to do with that immense wealth which was not earned by their own labour. They consulted Anupamadevi and she advised them that instead of hiding the wealth under the ground, it should be placed atop a peak. She added that therein would lie the true dignity of human beings and the wealth itself. By burying the wealth under the ground, the greedy person would meet his hell; it the same wealth be used for the uplift of the pilgrim-places like Shatrunjaya and Girnar, one can have his heaven on doing so. She suggested that some wealth be spent for the Jain temples atop the mountain peaks. Vastupal was convinced about Anupamadevis suggestion and Tejpal was very happy that she was such an unselfish woman. At the great pilgrim-place of Shri Shatrunjaya, Nandishvar Jinprasad was constructed with the help of Vamdev Salat. A unique lake was also built at the holy place. In A.D.1236, at the time of celebrating the great penance called Panchami, they arranged the construction of 25 holy assemblies and also managed to construct 32vadis at the foot hills of Shatrunjaya and 16vadis at the foot-hills of Girnar. Jinalaya, a lake and poshala were also constructed. Atop Mt.Abu was erected a huge, attractive and beautiful edifice named Lunigavasahifor Neminath Bhagwan. During all these works, Anupamadevi looked after the sculptors with motherly love and feeling. With a view to keeping them healthy and agile, she had hired men for their massage. She paid adequate money to all of them. All her painstaking efforts made the Jain temples at Abu a unique creation-as unique as she was-Anupam.

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2.21

NAGILA

Bhavdev, the younger brother, also joined his elder brother Bhavdatta on the path of penance. At that time, the newly married Nagila was richly decorated with clothes and ornaments. Bhavdev told her, My elder brothers desire is the last word for me. So henceforth I shall live a saintly life rather than a worldly one. So saying Bhavdev became a disciple of Susthit Acharya along with his elder brother. Bhavdev spent some of his days in renunciation but when he happened to be lonely he used to remember his bride Nagilas loving face. In fact, he felt her presence in everything around him. In course of time, mahamuni Bhavdatta passed away. Now Bhavdev thought that only Nagila could console his heart that had been weeping all these days in loneliness. When Bhavdatta was alive he could not go to Nagila, but with the death of his elder brother there was no one to restraine him. After as many as twelve years, muni Bhavdev came to his village Sugram and he stayed there in a temple. Nagila came to know about muni Bhavdevs arrival. She came to know that the muni was anxious to abdicate, his renunciation. Soon she was engrossed in deep thoughts. He that abandons his own religion shall be regarded a coward. Nagila did not want that to happen and hence she called an old shravika and explained her the entire plan. A child was also trained with some prompting. Early in the morning Nagila came to the temple where Bhavdev was putting up. She had the aged Shravika with her. Anxious to meet Nagila, Bhavdev asked that woman about Nagilas whereabouts. As was pre-arranged, a boy came there just at that time and addressed Nagila, O mother! I have received an invitation for a meal in the village. There would be some dakshina(money) given after the meal. So I want to vomit out the milk that I have drunk. Later on, after eating and getting my dakshina, I shall lick back the milk that I have vomited. As he heard this, muni Bhavdev burst into laughter and said, O dear child! What a silly talk? Would you lick back the milk that you have vomited? It is very disgusting. To this remark of Bhavdev, Nagila said,Muniraj! Nagila is myself. Are you again anxious and willing to accept the worldly life that you have already renounced? One rarely gets a horse for riding as you have got; yet why do you want to ride a donkey? Why do you want to abdicate the path of renunciation that you have been following. It is the path that led Shalibhadra, Meghkumar and Dhanna Sheth to the ultimate salvation? Why cant you control your mind which behaves like a mad elephant? You know very well that this is the only way to ensure liberation from the cycle of birth and death. Moreover,I am glad to let you know that I have also accepted shilvrat from my guru. I earnestly request you to kindly go back to your guru and stick to the path of renunciation. Having listened to such a sincere and appealing sermon from Nagila, muni Bhavdev went to his guru. In course of time, he became the last Jambuswami having achieved absolute knowledge in avsarpini era.

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2.22

GANGAMA

The tradition of nagarsheth (a respectable citizen of a city) is a glorious chapter of Jinshasan. Sheth Shantidas was a generous, highly religious nagarsheth. Harkunvar, Gangama, Mohiniba etc. were other names respected in society for their sterling qualities and they all belonged to the respectable family of Sheth Shantidas. Gangaben, the wife of Sheth Dalpatbhai, was a highly religious lady. In A.D.1865, Dalpatbhai had undertaken a pilgrimage to Shatrunjaya. Venerable Mulchandraji Maharaj was a member of the group of pilgrims. Vriddhichandraji Maharaj had arrived from Palitana. Gangama spent almost a fortune in the service of Sadhu-Sadhvi and Shravak-Shravika. She symbolised love, compassion and service. She was a true mother to one and all-caring and loving. She was compared to Anupamadevi who had built temples on Abu. In A.D.1911, four Sanghs had undertaken, at her instance, a pilgrimage to Ahmedabad. Shri Ratnavijayji composed a work to commemorate this memorable event. Once Gangama was absorbed listening to a discourse by Acharya Shri Nemisuishwaraji. He, in his inimitable style, exhorted people not to spare any effort to protect the pilgrim centers. His speech set Gangama thinking. At that time the British were building a guest house on the mountain of Sametshikhar for tourists and for those who visited the place for the purpose of hunting. Gangama diapproved of the idea. Why this assault on the sacred land of tirthankars, munis and pious souls? she wondered. She was determined to do something to prevent the sacred land from becoming profane, a land for merry making and drinking bouts. She began praying Bhagwan Parshwanath. She also remembered the illustrious line of her ancestors. Sheth Shantidas had fought the Aurangzeb, the religious fanatic, to protect the pilgrim-centres. Gangama adored Jinshasan and had profound attachment for the places of pilgrimage. A place of pilgrimage can inspire one to scale spiritual heights. Gangama was a truly devoted soul and her devotion to religion inspired her son to do something for the protection of centers of pilgrimage and thus for the protection of religion itself. When Gangamas son Lalbhai brought meal for her, she placed bangles in the plate. Lalbhai was baffled. Gangama said, Acharya Nemisurishwarji is worried about the protection of pilgrim centers. You are a nagarsheth, and you have not given even a thought to it. If you are to remain passive, then wear these bangles and give me your authority. I will fight and sacrifice my life. These angry words of his mother inspired Lalbhai to do something. He launched a fight against the British government and prevented it from building the guest house on Sametshikhar. Gangama held Sadhu-Sadhvi in high esteem and would see it that they observed the five mahavrata (vows) scrupulously. She would always set high standards of personal rectitude and piety-a staunch protector of religion as she was !

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