________________ BHAGAWAN NEMINATH and consequent wrong actions resulted in all sorts of misery and pain. He therefore dwelled deep into the Self. After spending fifty-four days in deep spiritual meditation at Mount Girnar, Neminath destroyed all his Ghati Karmas which were obscuring the true nature and power of the soul. He attained Kevaljnan and became an omniscient. He established the four-fold religious order (This Chaturvidha Sangha is known as a Tirtha) and became the twenty-second Tirthankar of the Jain religion. Thereafter, he lived a long life preaching the path of liberation to the common people. Friends consoling Princess Rajul At the time when Neminath decided to renounce his worldly life, Rajul was being adorned by her girl friends. She was eagerly waiting for the arrival of her Nemkumar as the bridegroom. Then they heard the news that Nemkumar had turned back. No one could understand his decision. Rajul was in utter grief. A calamity had overtaken her all of a sudden! Her friends tried to console her in that hour of crisis. Some of them started cursing Nemkumar for putting their beloved friend in such a miserable condition. Some advised her to forget the unpredictable Nemkumar and look for another suitable match. In her heart, Rajul had accepted Nemkumar as her husband. She could not even think of any other person taking his place. She did not like anyone cursing Nemkumar or speaking poorly of him. She had some spiritual orientation also. When she came to know of the real cause of his renouncement, she was able to overcome her grief. She realized that Nemkumar had left for a commendable purpose. She could appreciate his mission. She thought that the best way for her was to follow his footsteps. She absorbed herself in religious practices. When Rajul heard that Neminath had become an omniscient she went to the Samavasaran along with many of her friends and took Diksha. She absorbed herself in meditation and penance and spent the rest of her life as the head of the nuns' order. In the end, after destroying all her Karmas she attained liberation. Bhagawan Neminath's life is a good example of compassion towards animals. The killing and torture of animals on his account rekindled his passion for the search for complete freedom from misery. Rajul was a noble princess who appreciated Nemkumar's search for truth and happily followed him. JAIN STORY BOOK 31 Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org