Kuvalayamala Part 2

SR No.: 002778
Original Sutra Author: Udyotansuri
Author: A N Upadhye
Publisher: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
Publication Year: 1970
Total Pages: 368
Language: Sanskrit, English
Classification: Book_Devnagari & Literature
File Size: 12 MB

Page 106

INTRODUCTION
he found himself transported to Aparavideha where he had strange surroundings and paid respects to Sīmandharasvamin from whom he learnt his antecedents. Mahāvīra explained to him that because of his high passion, the Vidyadhara maidens played a trick on him. Kāmagajendra realized the vanity of worldly infatuation and accepted dikṣā. When his end was near, he accepted samlehaṇā, became Antakṛt-kevalin and thus attained Liberation.
67
These five souls, with their respective passions somewhat quieted, met each other in the presence of Dharmanandana. There they took dikṣā and were mutually attached. Candasoma was requested by others to bestow samyaktva, if circumstances permitted (§ 170). Lobhadeva was born in the Saudharma-kalpa where others also followed in their subsequent births. It was Padmasara who constructed the samavasaraṇa of Dharmanātha. There they learnt from that omniscient Teacher (§ 184) that they were Bhavyas, that they would attain Liberation in the fourth Bhava thereafter, and what would be their subsequent births. Realizing the difficulty of developing samyaktva under the circumstances, they requested Padmakesara to do his best. For memory clue they prepared their counterparts in precious stones and buried them in the forest where the Lion was to be born, marking the spot with a stone (§ 184).
Sagaradatta, as a clairvoyant saint, could visualize his colleagues in the third birth. He went to the spot where the Lion was dwelling; he conferred with Padmakesara (§ 194) who brought there Kuvalayacandra who helped the Lion to die piously. In due course, in the next birth, they were contemporaries in heaven (p. 216). They repeated their earlier resolve, and agreed that any one who had superior knowledge should enlighten the rest. Then in their last birth, they were (respectively) born as Svayambhudeva, Manirathakumāra, Kāmagajendra, Mahāratha and Vajragupta. They were contemporaries of Mahāvīra, and gathered together in his Samavasaraṇa. They took dikṣā and attained Liberation in due course.
3. JAINA DISCOURSES IN THE KUVALAYAMĀLĀ
Jainism is called Ethical Realism, and this brings out its salient traits to the fore. The theory of rebirth, the Karma theory which automatically operates, moral responsibility of the individual and allied doctrines were the characteristics of Śramanic culture; and they are all inherited in Jainism. The Jaina Karma doctrine is most uncompromising and undiluted: every one is responsible for, and can never escape without reaping the consequences of his Karma. The soul is subjected to a sort of vibration operating through mind, speech and body as a result of which it incurs material Karmic bondage. Thus the Jaina teachers, therefore, have evolved philosophy of conduct and pattern of behaviour uninfluenced by any reliance on Supernatural intervention or guidance. First, the individual is made highly self-reliant, and the Teacher leaves no opportunity to put him on the right track of religion. The erring soul is shown the correct path through religious instruction. Secondly, the Kuvalayamālā is primarily a dharma-katha; if it is called, and has become, samkīrṇa-katha, it is because the author has incidentally added contexts and topics of artha and kāma; and even those, in the long run, are conducive to the practice of Dharma. In this pattern