Jainism The Cosmic Vision

SR No.: 034278
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Kumarpal Desai
Publisher: Mahavir Foundation
Publication Year: 2008
Total Pages: 137
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 2 MB

Page 82

Jainism: The Cosmic Vision Bhanumitra for 60 years, Gardabhilla for 13 years, and Shaka for 4 years. After Shaka, that is, after 470 years from my death there will be the political rule of king Vikramaditya. He will be a great emperor and he will start his own Era (Samvata)."
"After 453 years from my death, there will flourish Acharya Kalaka who will bring the end of the rule of Gardabhilla."
"Jain ascetics will conveniently forget the tradition of pure monastic conduct. They will formulate monastic code according to their sweet will and by doing so they will deceive the ignorant and credulous people. They will indulge in praising themselves and slandering others."
The following predictions, too, were made by Tirthankara Mahavira in the four-month-stay during his last rainy season. At that time in Pava he adorned Rajjuka assembly of king Hastipala. Unique assembly hall was constructed by gods. And therein Tirthankara Mahavira lectured regularly.
One day, after Tirthankara Mahavira's lecture ended, king Punyapala politely said to him, "O Venerable One ! Last night I dreamt eight queer dreams. I had eight inauspicious dreams of an elephant, a monkey, a milky tree (a fig tree), a crow, a lion, a lotus, a seed and a pitcher. I am concerned that they may signify inauspicious or evil future events."
These dreams were signs of future events. Interpreting and explaining them Tirthankara Mahavira said, "You saw an elephant in the first dream. It suggests that in future polite and devotional Jain householders will become mad with pride and passion on getting short-term prosperity or wealth. They will behave like a mad elephant. They will never think of
150
Predictions of Tirthankara Mahavira renouncing the transient prosperity or wealth and accepting the vow of asceticism even in the face of terrible calamities and very hard times. And in case they took the vow of asceticism, they would not observe it rightly and sincerely. Only very few monks will observe it firmly, strictly and honestly."
"In the second dream, you saw a monkey. It signifies that in future, the nature of even great acharyas will be like that of a monkey. They will be as restless as a monkey. They will put forth very little spiritual effort and will be very careless and lazy in the observance of vows. Like a monkey they will be thoughtless, impudent and restless."
"In the third dream, you saw a milky tree (a fig tree). It signifies that in future the Jain monks will become hypocrites and throng householders making donations with selfish motives. They will regard those monks firm and strict in the observance of monastic code, as lax in the monastic conduct. On the contrary, they will consider the monks careless and loose in the practice of monastic code to be firm and strict in the monastic conduct. Like thorny babul trees, the hypocritical Jain monks will be in great majority."
"In the fourth dream, you saw a crow. It suggests that in future Jain monks, in great number, will transgress the monastic code of conduct. Again, abandoning all rules and restrictions laid down for monks in the monastic code of conduct, they will take shelter in the heretical sects. In other words, they will break away from the main stream or tradition, will found various heretical sects and subsects and will take shelter in them. Like crow, they will be cunning. They will indulge in fruitless sophistry and dialectics as do crows in making harsh and unpleasant sounds - 'ka' 'ka'."
151