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

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

Page 370

F05 Story Stories after Bhagwän
Mahävir
01 - Vajrakumär
"I do not want to hear this crying anymore. I am so sick and tired of him that I do not want him around at all. You can take him forever."
She picked up the child and put him in the muni's cloth bag. As soon as the boy was handed over to the muni, he stopped crying and started smiling. Sunandä was surprised by this and kept looking at the boy. However, she was determined to give him away. Muni left with the child to go to the upäshray. Ächärya Singhiri saw that Muni Dhangiri was carrying something heavy, so he asked him, "Why is your bag so heavy?" When the muni opened his bag, his guru saw the handsome, smiling boy. Since he was so heavy, the acharya named him "Vajrakumär".
Ächärya Singhiri requested a prominent Jain shrävak to take care of Vajrakumar and to make sure that he was taught Jain religious teachings since he had the potential of being a great acharya in the future. The shrävak brought Vajrakumär home and told his wife what Ächärya Singhiri wanted them to do. She was a very religious woman and happily agreed to the wishes of the achärya. She loved the boy so much that she would not let him go anywhere without her. She always took him to the upäshray to see the sädhvis. Even though he was little, he listened to and memorized all the scriptures the nuns were reciting. By the time, he was three years old, he had learned up to eleven Anga Agams. He was respectful to everybody and spoke very intelligently.
One day, one of Sunanda's friends came to her house and said, "Do you know that your child, who kept crying, spends a lot of his time at our upäshray? I have never heard him cry. He is a very charming and lovable child." Sunandä tried to ignore what her friends told her, but after all she was Vajrakumär's mother. She longed to see her son again. She started thinking, "How could I have done such a terrible thing? How could I have given up my precious child to a muni? After all, he is my child. I should get him back."
A few days later, Ächärya Singhiri and Muni Dhangiri came to Tumbivan again. She went to the upäshray. She approached Muni Dhangiri and asked him "Please, give my son back. I cannot live without him anymore." Muni Dhangiri said, "I told you at that time that once you give him away, you will not get him back. Remember, you said you did not want him at all. We cannot give back what we take."
Please find a way to give
Sunandä said, "I do not know why I did that. I cannot live without my son. meback my son."
Ächärya Singhiri and Muni Dhangiri tried to convince her to forget him, but she was determined to get him
back.
At last, she went to the king and requested, "Please help me get my son back. My husband has become a monk and I am lonely. He is the only child I have. Please ask them to return my son."
The king heard the whole story from Sunandä. He said, "Let me find out what happened, and I will let you know shortly." He inquired about the situation and found that because Sunanda was tired of her son's incessant crying, she had voluntarily given away her child.
The king called Sunanda and told her, "Sunandä, when Muni Dhangiri came to your house for alms you gave your child away voluntarily because you were fed up with his crying. Once you give something you cannot have it back."
Sunandä said, "Oh King, this is not a thing. This is my own flesh and blood, and he is the only hope I have. Please do something to get him back. I cannot live without him."
The king could feel the motherly affection and sincerity in her voice. He was also puzzled. Ultimately he told Sunandä, "I will call you and Muni Dhangiri in the courthouse and let Vajrakumar decide whom he wants to go with. Is it okay with you?"
Sunandä said, "Yes, Your Majesty."
The next day, the king's courthouse was full of people curious to see what would happen to the child. Sunandä came with toys, sweets, clothes, and other novelty items to attract Vajrakumär. The king and all his ministers came. Muni Dhangiri came with other monks. Everybody in the courthouse, including the king, paid homage to the monks. Vajrakumär also came.
Page 370 of 398
Compendium of Jainism - 2015