________________
F04 Stories during Bhagawan Mahävir's Life
14 - Abhaykumar and Thief Rohineya
The next day he was presented in the royal court. As Rohineya was in disguise, it was hard to identify him as the burglar. Abhaykumär was sure, but how could the accused be punished without proof of his identity? When the king asked him about his identity, Rohineya replied that he was a farmer named Durgachandra who belonged to the Shäligräm village. He had come to Räjgrihi to visit the capital and was returning home when the watchmen apprehended him. Rohineya had made arrangements for that assumed identity with the residents of the village. When inquiries were made in that village, the people confirmed what Rohineya had stated in court. Abhaykumär had to devise a plan for getting a confession from Rohineya regarding the burglaries. He came to know that Rohineya was fond of drinks. He therefore arranged to serve an excessive amount of wine to the thief. The excessive wine made him unconscious. While unconscious, Rohineya was cleaned, dressed in extravagantly perfumed royal garments, and adorned with valuable jewelry. He was then placed on a luxurious velvet bed of sandalwood on the top floor of a palatial building. As Rohineya regained his consciousness, he saw himself in heavenly surroundings. There was a breathtaking view all around. The walls, ceiling, and floor were crystalline. Beautiful maidens were waving scented air with diamond studded fans, soft serene music was heard in the background, fairylike dancers were dancing in tune with the music, and divine musicians were getting ready for a musical concert. Rohineya could not make out where he was. He asked one of the girls where he was and why they were all serving him so well. The girl replied that he was their new king in heaven. He had attained all the divine comforts, which now belonged to him. He could live like Indra, the king of heaven, and enjoy life with heavenly damsels. "Could this be true for a burglar like me?" he asked himself. However, he then remembered that he was helpful to the poor and needy, and he was sure that god had been just. "Or could this be the plan of Abhaykumär?" he thought again. It was hard for him to decide what the truth really was. He therefore thought it was best to wait and see. After a while, a luxuriously clad person entered with a golden staff and a book in his hand. "Is your new lord awake?" he asked one of the damsels. The girl replied that their new lord had just woken up and that they were getting ready to celebrate his arrival in heaven by presenting the divine concert. "Let me make sure that all preparations pertaining to his arrival have been completed before you start your concert, and let me also get some information from him that the heavenly realm needs to know." As he was saying this, he came to Rohineya. Opening his book, he asked Rohineya to narrate his deeds from his previous life prior to enjoying the amenities of heaven. Meanwhile, Rohineya was looking around. He remembered what he had heard from Lord Mahävir's sermon about heavenly beings when he stepped on the thorn. He observed the movements of heavenly beings in front of him. He noticed that their feet were touching the ground, their bodies had shadows, and their eyes were blinking like human beings. He immediately figured out that this heaven was not real and that it was only an illusion created by Abhaykumar to gain evidence of his burglaries. He therefore replied that in the previous life he gave donations to worthy causes, constructed temples, went on pilgrimages to holy places, and rendered service to deserving people. The person took note of his statement and asked him to narrate any wrong deeds that he might have indulged in. Rohineya said that he had scrupulously avoided misdeeds and therefore he was born in heaven. Abhaykumar's plan did not work and Rohineya was set free as being the innocent farmer that he pretended to be. Rohineya was released, but he constantly thought about what had happened. He realized that what he had accidentally heard from Lord Mahävir had saved his life. Then how could his father be right in the advice that he had given? Lord Mahävir must be a very great entity. "If those words, which were accidentally heard, were so helpful, imagine how helpful his teachings would be?" he asked himself. Had he wasted his years avoiding the sermons of the Mahavir-swami? After pondering at length, he decided to go to Lord Mahävir and serve at his feet. He went to the assembly and humbly requested the lord to accept him as his disciple. He also requested to become a monk. Mahävir-swami asked him to disclose his real identity and confess all of his past sins to the king before renouncing his worldly life.
Page 366 of 398
Compendium of Jainism - 2015
