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Udi Jain Jain Society of Greater Detroit
PRATISHTHA MAHOTSAV ASHADH 4-12 V.S. 2054
KAPIL MUNI (era of Mahavirswami)
Every morning the king gave a gift in charity to the first commoner he saw upon waking.
Knowing of this, the pauper Kapil roamed near the palace at twilight. One morning at dawn, upon seeing his tattered clothes, the palace sentries thought Kapil to be a thief. The sentries promptly captured the commoner, imprisoning him in the dungeon. The following morning, the sentries
dragged him before the king. Upon hearing of Kapil's poverty, the king exclaimed that Kapil could have whatever he asked of him. Thinking that he must consider carefully before asking for his gift, Kapil became very pensive. Lost in thought the pauper reasoned, "The happiness I will get from a few gold coins will be short-lived. And since the king is granting me whatever I desire, should I not aim for that which will give me happiness for a lifetime. First, I will request the kingdom, then the palace, then the jewels." The greed Kapil felt at that moment began to swell. Realizing this, he started to feel an aversion toward material things and felt the urge to renounce all. He was granted diksha by the deity Indra. He said to the king and said: "Oh king, there is no end to the desires and
yearnings of humans, keeping
them in the cycle of death and birth. This is why I have renounced all needs and desires." It was in the process of thinking so purely and without distortions that he attained omniscience. In a nearby jungle there were some souls destined for moksha that were subsisting on a life of thievery. Kapil Muni inspired them to liberation and they also were given diksha by Lord Indra.
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