Book Title: $JES 202 Jain Story Book Level 2 Book
Author(s): JAINA Education Committee
Publisher: JAINA Education Committee

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Page 121
________________ VAJRAKUMÄR She picked up the child and put him in the muni's cloth bag. As soon as the boy was handed over to the muni, he stopped crying and started smiling. Sunanda was surprised by this and kept looking at the boy. However, she was determined to give him away. Muni left with the child to go to the upäshray. Ächärya Sinhgiri saw that Muni Dhangiri was carrying something heavy, so he asked him, "Why is your bag so heavy?" When the muni opened his bag, his guru saw the handsome, smiling boy. Since he was so heavy, the Ächärya named him "Vajrakumär". Ächärya Sinhgiri requested a prominent Jain shrävak to take care of Vajrakumar and to make sure that he was taught Jain religious teachings since he had the potential of being a great Ächärya in the future. The shrävak A Jain Shrävikä taking care of Vajrakumär brought Vajrakumär home and told his wife what Ächärya Sinhgiri wanted them to do. She was a very religious woman and happily agreed to the wishes of the Ächärya. She loved the boy so much that she would not let him go anywhere without her. She always took him to the upäshray to see the sädhvis. Even though he was little, he listened to and memorized all the scriptures the nuns were reciting. By the time, he was three years old, he had learned up to eleven Anga Ägams. He was respectful to everybody and spoke very intelligently. One day, one of Sunanda's friends came to her house and said, "Do you know that your child, who kept crying, spends a lot of his time at our upäshray? I have never heard him cry. He is a very charming and lovable child." Sunandä tried to ignore what her friends told her, but after all she was Vajrakumär's mother. She longed to see her son again. She started thinking, "How could I have done such a terrible thing? How could I have given up my precious child to a muni? After all, he is my child. I should get him back." A few days later, Ächärya Sinhgiri and Muni Dhangiri came to Tumbivan again. She went to the upäshray. She approached Muni Dhangiri and asked him "Please, give my son back. I cannot live without him anymore." Muni Dhangiri said, "I told you at that time that once you gave him away, you would not get him back. Remember, you said you did not want him at all. We cannot give back what we take." Sunandä said, "I do not know why I did that. I cannot live without my son. Please find a way to give me back my son." Ächärya Sinhgiri and Muni Dhangiri tried to convince her to forget him, but she was determined to get him back. JAIN STORY BOOK 121

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