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UDAYAN MANTRI AND HIS SONS
The second son, Bähad (also known as Vähad), was a politician and statesman. He first worked for King Siddharäj, and later under King Kumärpäl's regime he became the King's trusted right hand man. When Kumärpäl undertook the renovation of Somnäth temple, the project was entrusted to Bähad, who carried out the work very well.
In order to honor the pledge to his father, Bähad undertook the construction of a grand temple on Shatrunjay. The temple was completed in 1155 A.D., but soon after, portions of the temple fell down due to intense wind. Bähad then arranged to reconstruct the fallen parts so it could withstand high winds in the future.
There is an interesting anecdote associated with the construction of that temple. When Bähad undertook the work, many people wanted to contribute to the project. A list of donors was prepared in order to accommodate them. At that time, there was a poor man named Bhim who earned his livelihood going from place to place selling ghee (refined butter). He went to the place where the list was being prepared. He had an intense desire to contribute to the project, but he had only one coin, the one he had earned that day. How could he speak about donating such a small amount when people were contributing thousands of coins? Bähad noticed his eagerness and called him to his side. He gently asked Bhim to contribute whatever he wanted. Naturally Bhim hesitated. However, he said that he wanted to contribute the coin he had earned that day.
Bähad not only accepted the offer, but also wrote Bhim's name at the top of the donors' list. When he was asked to explain, Bähad said that the other donors, including him, had contributed a part of their wealth while Bhim had contributed his entire wealth.
It so happened that when Bhim returned home, his wife asked him to fix a wooden post to restrain their cow. As he was digging, he came across a box buried in the ground. As he opened it, he saw that it contained gold coins and other valuables. He thought it was the consequence of his contribution to the temple and took the entire wealth to Bähad as his contribution to the temple.
The construction project was completed in 1157 A.D. at a cost of 29.7 million coins, and the opening ceremony was performed on a grand scale in the presence of Shri Hemchandra Ächärya.
Moral:
The life story of Udayan, a religious and hardworking shrävak, is very inspiring to all of us. He was always humble and never forgot his benefactors. He raised brave and virtuous sons, Ämbad and Bähad, two gems of the Jain sangh. Bhim's generosity is also praiseworthy. Bähad's act of putting Bhim's name at the top of the donors' list demonstrates his unbiased leadership and true understanding of religion.
36 - Questions:
1. Why did Udayan and his wife come to Karnavati? Who did they meet there? What happened when they met her?
2. Why did Udayan hide Kumärpäl in his basement? What happened shortly thereafter?
3. Why did he decide to construct a new temple at Pälitänä? What did he see?
4. Why was Bhim initially reluctant to give a donation for the temple? Why was Bhim's name placed on top of the donor list.
JAIN STORY BOOK
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