$JES 904 Compendium of Jainism (Jain Academic Bowl Manual 3rd Edition)

Author(s): JAINA Education Committee
Publisher: JAINA Education Committee

Page 339

FO3 Stories Preceding Bhagawan Mahävir
05 - Ilächikumar
He discarded his fancy clothes for the acrobats' uniform and began learning their skills. Since he was smart and diligently worked to learn acrobatics, the chief's daughter soon fell in love with him and helped him learn. With her help, he easily mastered the art and soon became an expert acrobat. When the group reached the city of Benätat, he requested the father of the girl to organize a show at the royal court so that he could have a chance to fulfill the condition. The chief went to the young king and requested him to watch the performance of the young acrobat and to award him a suitable prize for his skills. When the king agreed, the acrobats erected the poles in the compound of the royal palace and invited the officers of the state and the elite of the city to watch. Just before the show was due to start, the king arrived and took his seat in the balcony of the palace. Bowing to him, Ilächikumar went over to the pole, jumped up and began displaying his acrobatic skills. llächikumar walked on the rope with ease and grace, performing risky jumps and somersaults. It was a superb performance and full of acrobatic feats no one had ever seen before. Everyone was highly impressed with his skill.llächikumar felt gratified by the appreciation of the people, thinking that it was enough to please the king as well. He came down and bowed to the king again and the chief went to him to request an appropriate award. However, during the performance the king's attention had been diverted by the beautiful girl and he had been fascinated by her. Seeing how lovingly she gazed at llächikumar throughout the performance, he thought that he could easily gain her if he somehow got rid of lächikumar. Therefore, when the chief acrobat approached the king and asked if he had enjoyed the performance, the king pretended that his mind had been occupied with problems of the state. Saying that he had not been able to give his full attention to the performance. He requested llächikumar to demonstrate his skills again. Accordingly, llächikumar got on the rope again and displayed his skills, again doing a superb job. But at the end of this second show, the king pretended to be drowsy and asked him to repeat the performance again. llächikumar could not believe the situation. He suspected that there was something wrong. However, since he was still eager to accomplish his cherished goal of marrying the girl, he decided to try again. Once again, he began the ropewalk, triumphantly noting the audience's reaction. While looking around, he noticed a beautiful woman offering sweet food to a young monk. She was in the prime of her youth and was very attractive and highly graceful. However, what surprised llächikumar was that the monk was clearly unaffected by her beauty. He compared this to his own situation. llächikumar had changed his entire life for the beauty of one girl, yet the monk was impervious to the lovely woman in front of him. He was amazed by the monk's selfcontrol and detachment towards the beautiful woman. What power kept the monk aloof in her presence? In addition, while not only remaining aloof, the monk's face radiated peace! This attitude of the monk raised a succession of thoughts in the mind of llächikumar. "Why do I not feel detachment in the presence of a beautiful young girl?" He also continued to wonder why the king had asked him to repeat his performances, and finally he suspected that the king must be attracted to the girl and must be waiting for him to fall from the rope. "If I fall from the rope, I would be badly hurt and would not be able to perform acrobatic feats. In that case, I will never be able to marry the girl for whom I have abandoned my home and my parents." llächikumar now realized that the happiness he was looking for was merely an illusion. He began to recall his early religious training, when he had been exposed to religious principles and had learned about the soul within the body and its immense capabilities. He realized that his achievements as an acrobat must have been due to that inner capability. Similarly, the monk could remain unaffected because he remained tuned to his soul and its abilities, remaining vigilant about potential pitfalls. “As an acrobat, I have to remain constantly vigilant because the slightest unawareness on my part can result in a fall from the high rope and possibly in my death. Why, then, should I not use the same vigilance for the sake of spiritual upliftment?" In an earlier life, he had treaded a long path of spiritual pursuit. The impact of that achievement was lying subdued within him, waiting for an opportunity to manifest itself. Now, the sight of the monk provided the needed catalyst, and he became fully awakened to the realization that he was a soul and that all the other situations were simply an illusion. While on the rope, llächikumar dwelt deep into his self and attained
Compendium of Jainism - 2015
Page 339 of 398