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PART II GANADHARS AND ÄCHÄRYAS
08 - Revali Jambuswämi
During the time of Mahävir-swämi, there lived a wealthy merchant named Rushabhadatt in the city of Räjgrihi. In 542 BCE, his wife Dhärini gave birth to a very handsome son whom they named Jambu. He grew up to be a very bright and intelligent young man well-liked by everyone. When he became older, many families were eager to have their daughters marry him. It was a normal practice in those days for a man to have more than one wife, so his parents selected 8 girls from reputed families. Jambu was duly engaged to all of them. It was a joyous time for all. One day, Mahävir-swami's ganadhar, Sudharma-swämi, came to Räjgrihi to deliver a sermon and Jambu attended the assembly. The sermon encouraged him to develop a very high sense of detachment towards worldly objects and family members and he decided to renounce his worldly life. However, Jambu's parents were dismayed to hear of his intentions to renounce the world at such a young age. The parents of the eight girls who were engaged to Jambu were also very worried that no one else would marry their daughters because of their engagement to Jambu.
They all tried to convince Jambu to relinquish his plans of becoming a monk, telling him that the rigors of an ascetic life would pose a challenge for him and that he did not realize what he was sacrificing. They advised him to live a comfortable family life, reminding him of his obligations towards them and his future wives. Jambu patiently listened to them, but he remained firm in his decision.
Finally, the parents made one last effort to persuade him. Thinking that Jambu would change his mind after being married, they requested that he get married before they gave their blessing for his renunciation. Jambu agreed to get married with one condition: he would become an ascetic the day after his marriage. His parents agreed to this condition since they thought he would fall in love with the girls once he was married and would give up the idea of renouncing the world. The wedding took place on a grand scale. Jambu's parents and those of the girls vied with each other to show their prosperity. Highly distinguished guests graced the occasion. The jewelry and other precious gifts showered upon the newlyweds were the envy of everyone in attendance. Räjgrihi had rarely witnessed such pomp and splendor. Everyone congratulated Jambu for marrying such beautiful and glamorous wives and wished him great happiness. Jambu spent that night in an elegantly decorated bedroom with his wives. However, he was unaffected by the glamour of the wedding and the beauty of his wives. He had firmly decided
to renounce the world the next day and wanted to make use of Kumär Jambu preaching to his wives
the night to orient his wives for spiritual pursuit, so he began explaining the transitory nature of life and the miserable nature
of worldly relationships. While Jambu was engrossed in a discussion with his wives, a famous burglar named Prabhav and his 500 followers entered the palace. Once the prince of Vindhya, a neighboring city, Prabhav had a disagreement with his parents and left his palace, becoming a thief and a leader of 500 devout followers. Prabhav had acquired special skills that were very useful for his current profession. He could put anyone into a deep sleep and could break any lock. Upon hearing of Jambu's wedding, Prabhav had come to town to steal the fabulous treasures accumulated. He used his skills to put everyone in the palace into a deep sleep and opened the locks. Then, he along with his 500 followers quickly entered the palace to steal the wedding treasures. But as Prabhav approached Jambu's suite, he heard Jambu talking to his wives. Somehow, his power did not affect them! He came closer to the door in an effort
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JAIN STORY BOOK
