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03 - Kevali Jambuswämi
F02 Story - Ganadhars and Ächäryas
03 - Kevali Jambuswämi
During the time of Mahavir-swami, there lived a wealthy merchant named Rushabhadatt in the city of Räjgrihi. In 542 B.C., 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, Mahavir-swami's ganadhar, Sudharmä-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 best 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 perfect 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 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 his 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 and 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 to listen closely. To his utter astonishment, Jambu was talking about renunciation and the misery associated with worldly life. His words were so powerful that Prabhav became interested and continued listening. He pondered over the irony of how hard he worked to steal wealth, while the owner of such wealth was planning to renounce everything. Jambu continued to preach to his wives, and Prabhav quietly listened to the conversation. His men finished stealing from the rest of the palace and urged Prabhav to finish the job of stealing the jewelry located in Jambu's bedroom so they could leave before the guards discovered them.
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Compendium of Jainism - 2015
