Antgadadasao evam Anuttaravavaidasao

Author(s): P L Vaidya
Publisher: P L Vaidya

Page 11

INTRODUCTION every morning, cut basketfuls of flowers, offered the best of flowers to Mudgarapani, and then went about his business. There was in that town a social club called Elegant, mostly of vagabonds. Now, on the occasion of a public festival when the gardner with his wife was out on a visit to the temple, six members of the club conspired and decided that they should abduct the gardner's wife after binding the gardner hands and feet, which plan they carried out. The gardner then thought that as Mudgarapani, to whom he was so devoted since his childhood, did not come to his help, the image of the deity was nothing but a log of wood. Now, learning this gardener's thought, Mudgarapani god wanted to justify his existence and so entered the body of the gardner, cut off his bonds, and, with the heavy iron club in his hand, began to chase and beat those six members of the club and the woman Bandhumati. When this news spread about people were afraid of leaving their homes even to pay their visits to holy persons like Mahavira. A young boy, Sudarsana, however, went to see the revered Mahavira and encountered the gardener possessed by Mugarapani. He faced the gardener boldly, and Mudgarapani, finding that he could not attack Sudarsana, the disciple of Mahavira, left the body of the gardener and went his way. The gardener thus came round, visited Mahayira, and after listening to his discourse, became monk. But when he went out in the city on his begging tour, he was insulted by people for his so called acts of chasing and beating people. "He bore all these insults patiently and after practising the vows attained perfection ($ 98-121).