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PART IV STORIES DURING BHAGAWAN MAHÄVIR
King Shrenik laughed and said, "O monk, if you feel so insecure and unprotected (anäth), I shall be your protector (näth). Moreover, a person like me as your protector will make all the difference and there shall be no problem in having sincere friends, near ones, and dear ones. In their company you shall be able to enjoy all the pleasures like wealth, power and peace. Please renounce this sainthood you accepted at a youthful age and come with me to my grand pleasure place."
To this the monk said, "O King of Magadha, how shall you be my protector when you yourself are unprotected? I also, as you do, possessed invaluable wealth and riches, but once when I had severe pain in my eyes and burning sensation in my limbs, none could help me. Neither could the riches of my father nor any medical help nor the sweet love of my mother help. My devoted wife renounced all the ornaments and my brothers and sister wept and wailed helplessly. I was helpless. They were helpless too. With a view to avoiding such helplessness, I decided to go for dikshä which, I thought, was an unfailing remedy to all my pains. I made up my mind to renounce the world if my pain subsided that night. To my utter surprise it started subsiding immediately. By the time the day dawned, the pain had vanished completely. I was perfectly healthy. As per my decision earlier that night, I took dikshä and thus one who was totally unprotected (a-näth) found his protector (näth) in Bhagawan Mahavir."
Deeply impressed by the preaching's of Anäthi Muni, King Shrenik decided to seek refuge with Bhagawän Mahävir.
Moral:
This story of Anäthi Muni shows that a person suffering from worldly pains and tortures, despite his numerous near and dear ones and immense riches, can feel unprotected and helpless too. A person having his soul awakened is indeed a sanäth, a protected person forever. Scriptures say that having attained the ultimate state of spiritual bliss, Anathi Muni achieved siddhi pad, the ever-lasting state of being sanäth.
29 - Questions:
1. What was the reason for Anäthi muni taking dikshä and becoming a monk?
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JAIN STORY BOOK
