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Description of Dridhaprāhārī
The solution to the question of whether even an extremely cruel person can attain success through the influence of yoga is presented in the following verse.
12. Brahma-strī-bhruṇa-go-ghāta-pātakān-narakātiteḥ | Dṛḍhaprāhāri-prabhūter-yogaḥ hastāvalambanaṃ ||12||
Meaning: For the Dṛḍhaprāhārī (the extremely violent one), who had committed the great sins of killing a Brahmin, a woman, an embryo, and a cow, and thus became a guest of hell, yoga was the only support.
Explanation: Killing a Brahmin, a woman, an embryo, and a cow are considered the greatest sins in the world. Although for one who considers all souls equal, whether a Brahmin or a non-Brahmin, a woman or a man, an embryo or a youth, a cow or any other animal, the sin of killing any five-sensed being is almost the same. It is said that one should not commit violence against any being, be it a king or a water-fetching servant. The vow of non-violence (ahiṃsā-vrata) prohibits causing harm to any living being. However, in worldly practice, the killer of these four (Brahmin, woman, child, and cow) is considered a great sinner. Others do not consider the killing of other beings as much of a sin as the killing of these four. Therefore, the killing of these four is called a great sin (mahāpātaka) here.
As a result of this great sin, the Dṛḍhaprāhārī became eligible for hell. But due to the power of yoga attained by him, he became eligible for liberation in the same birth. Similarly, other great sinners who have understood the Jain scriptures and acquired the wealth of yoga have purified their hell-bound karmas and attained the supreme state of liberation.
Transformation of Dṛḍhaprāhārī's heart:
In a certain city, there lived an extremely unruly Brahmin. He was so sinful that whenever he was seen, he would astonish the innocent people and inflict oppression on them. The state protectors expelled him from the city. Thus, he ended up in the thieves' village, like a hawk falling into the hands of hunters. The captain of the thieves, impressed by his merciless behavior and violent conduct, and considering him suitable for his work, accepted him as his son. One day, the captain of the thieves was suddenly killed in a clash. Therefore, this cruel youth was accepted as the new captain, considering him as the son and a valiant person. He did not hesitate or delay even a bit in committing the murder of living beings mercilessly. Due to this, he became famous among the people as Dṛḍhaprāhārī (the extremely violent one).
One day, taking some brave warriors with him, he went to loot the village of Kuśasthala. In that village, there lived a very poor Brahmin named Devaśarmā. His children, like hoping for fruits from a fruitless tree, expressed their desire to eat khīra (a sweet dish) in front of their father. The Brahmin went around the entire village, begging for rice from one place, milk from another, and jaggery from somewhere else. After collecting the ingredients for khīra, he went to the river to bathe. Meanwhile, those very thieves barged into his house. Thinking that the weak are destroyed by fate, one of the thieves, like a hungry ghost, quickly grabbed the pot of khīra and fled. Seeing their khīra stolen, the Brahmin's sons cried and complained to their father about it.
Burning with anger, the Brahmin immediately grabbed a pestle and, like a messenger of Yama (the god of death), rushed towards the thieves. Summoning all his courage and strength, he started beating the thieves mercilessly with the pestle. Seeing his fellow thieves being beaten, the Dṛḍhaprāhārī rushed to confront him. As he was running, by divine arrangement, a cow came in his way, as if to obstruct his path of misfortune. The leader of these wicked thieves...