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KING SHRIPÄL AND MAYANÄ-SUNDARI
forsake his devotion to Navapad. Consequently, he successfully survived all the ordeals. As was the custom at that time, he married many girls and amassed great wealth and many followers.
Eventually, equipped with that, he came back and camped outside Ujjayini. His army was so large that it virtually surrounded the city; King Prajäpäl initially thought that some enemy had come with a large force to conquer Ujjayini. When he came to the camp, he was greatly pleased to recognize his son-in-law. Shripäl then entered the city, where he was given a hero's welcome. His mother and Mayanä were anxiously awaiting his arrival and were very happy to see him.
Shripäl happily spent some time with Mayanä, who was dearest to him. Then, he decided to regain his original kingdom of Champänagar. He sent a message to his uncle Ajitsen to leave the throne that he had seized. Ajitsen was, however, too proud to give it up. Therefore, Shripäl invaded Champänagar with his vast army.
Ajitsen put up a tough fight. However, his army was no match for Shripal's. In the fight, Ajitsen was captured and Champänagar was taken over by Shripäl, who then gracefully released his uncle from captivity. Ajitsen now felt that his days were almost over, and decided to renounce the worldly life. Thereafter, Shripäl happily passed the rest of his life as the King of Champänagar.
Moral:
This story describes the faith of Mayanä-sundari on the philosophy of karma and her devotion to Navapad. It stresses the importance of her effort and determination to change her fate. Mayanä understood the nature of karma. However, she was not content with her fate. She and her husband, Shripäl, exerted their own self-efforts into prayer and practice to improve his condition and were ultimately successful. They accepted that karma had put them into their current condition, but they also knew that they could change their future if they only put effort into acquiring good karmas and destroying bad karmas. Happiness and misery are a state of mind regardless of the situation one is in. If you think you are miserable, then you will be miserable. Full faith in the theory of karma is essential to be content and happy.
16- Questions:
1. After his father died, what happened when Shripäl was five years old?
2. What did the King ask Mayanä sundari? What was her reply?
3. What did the King do when he became angry with Mayana sundari's reply?
4. What did Shripäl and Mayanä sundari do based on Ächärya Munichandra's advice? What happened?
5. What happened when Shripäl and his father-in-law were out in a royal procession? What did Shripäl do? 6. What happened while he went to seek his own fame?
JAIN STORY BOOK
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