Disclaimer: This translation does not guarantee complete accuracy, please confirm with the original page text.
The Story of Anand Shravak
In the third light of the Yoga Shastra, verse 152, there was a famous king named Jitashatru, who was like a father to his people. In that city, there lived a householder named Anand, whose very presence brought joy to the eyes of others, as if another moon had come to earth. Just as Rohini is considered the wife of the moon, so too was his wife, Shivananda, beautiful in form and grace. He possessed four crore gold coins, buried in the ground as treasure and invested in trade and household goods. He also had four large herds of cows. In the northwest corner of the city, in a suburb called Kollak, Anand had many relatives. At that time, Siddhartha Nandan, Shri Vardhaman Swami, was wandering the earth and arrived in the city's Dyutipalash garden. When King Jitashatru heard of the Lord's arrival, he too went with his family to pay his respects to the Lord. Anand also walked, taking many people with him, and reached the Lord's lotus feet. He purified his ears by listening to the Lord's nectar-like Dharmadeshana. Then, bowing at the Lord's feet, the great Anand accepted the twelve vows of householder Dharma from the Lord. He renounced all other women except his wife Shivananda. He renounced all other wealth, including the four crore gold coins buried as treasure, invested in trade, and used in household goods. He renounced all other land, including the four herds of cows and the land cultivated by five hundred ploughs. He renounced all other vehicles except the four chariots used for trade in all directions (Digyatra). He renounced all other clothes except the fragrant saffron cloth (towel) used for wiping his body. He renounced all other toothpastes except the green licorice root and all other fruits except the sour amla. He renounced all other oil massages except the Sahasrapak and Shatapak oils. He renounced all other fragrant ointments except the fragrant ointment suitable for application. He renounced using more than eight pots of water for bathing. He renounced wearing more than one pair of cotton clothes. He renounced all other ointments except the application of sandalwood, agarwood, and saffron. He renounced all other flowers except the garland of Malati flowers and the lotus. He renounced all other ornaments except the ear ornaments and the ring. He renounced all other incense except the Dashaang incense and the agarwood incense. He renounced all other sweets except Ghevar and Pua. He renounced all other drinks except the drink made from wood (Rab) and the rice cooked in a pot (Kalmi Chawal). He renounced all other soups (Dals) except the soups made from black gram, green gram, and peas. He renounced all other ghee except the ghee made from cow's milk in the autumn season. He renounced all other vegetables except the Swastik, Manduki, and other vegetables. He renounced all other dals except the sour dal (Kadhi) prepared with ghee and oil. He renounced all other water except rainwater. He renounced all other mouth fresheners except the five fragrant tambools.
After this, Anand bowed to the Lord and returned home. He happily told Shivananda about the method of the accepted householder Dharma. Hearing this, Shivananda, who desired to accept householder Dharma for her own well-being, also got into a chariot and went to the Lord's feet at that very moment. She bowed to the Guru of the three worlds and, understanding well, accepted Shravak Dharma. She was delighted to hear the Lord's nectar-like words and returned home in a Dharma chariot as bright as a plane. At that time, Shri Gautam Swami asked the omniscient Lord, "Will this great soul, Anand Shravak, accept the Sadhu Dharma?" The omniscient Lord, who sees all three times, said, "Anand will follow the vows of a Shravak for a long time. After that, he will complete his lifespan and become a great god in the Arun Prabha Vimana of the first heaven, Saudharma Kalpa, with a state of four Palyopama."
Fourteen years passed as Anand Shravak diligently followed the twelve vows. One night, in the last watch, the pure, wise Anand thought, "I am the foundation of many people in this city. If I fall while worrying about them, then the Dharma accepted by me, as declared by the omniscient, will be tainted with the faults of transgression, etc." Thinking in this way, with good intentions in his mind, Anand Shravak got up in the morning. As per his resolve, he had a very large dispensary built in the Kollak settlement. There, he invited his friends, relatives, and kin...| SR No. | 002418 |
| Book Title | Yogshastra |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Jayanandvijay |
| Publisher | Lehar Kundan Group |
| Publication Year | |
| Total Pages | 494 |
| Language | Sanskrit, Hindi |
| Classification | Book_Devnagari |
| File Size | 24 MB |