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462
PHILOSOPHY OF SOUL
again once more and ever again goes on committing sins. Here we are reminded of an illustration quoted in Bhagavatisutra.
When last prophet Lord Mahavira arrived in the city Kaushambi, then the kind Udai, his aunt Jayanti and his mother Mrugavati went to have holy sight of the Lord.
Jayanti had right faith, knowledge of truth and she accorded resort to the monks. She had spacious place to stay and the monks could find their residence, self study and meditation very comfortably at her place. She served the monks with sincere faith and devotion. She was the most popular among three lakhs and eighteen thousand women-lay-disciples. You can just think how popular she could be for her esteem and worth.
These three lakhs and eighteen thousand women lay disciples were those who were initiated into some vows. Ordinary women lay disciples were not included among them. Some feel that the followers of Lord Mahavira were not many but those who believe so seem not to have studied the scriptures and history properly. Scriptures record the entire retinue of disciples of the lord as follows. Lord Mahavira had fourteen thousand monks, thirty six thousand nuns, three hundred monks well versed in fourteen branches of scriptures; thirteen hundred with limited range of divine knowledge, sixteen hundred monks skilled in modifying physical body, sixteen hundred with omniscience, sixteen hundred due for Anuttara heaven, five hundred with Manah-Paryava-knowledge, fourteen hundred debators, one lakh and fifty nine thousand male lay disciples, and three lakhs and eighteen thousand women lay disciples-ordinary lay disciples are not included in this record. It is easy to decipher great majority of ordinary lay disciples from the number of those who were initiated into vows.
After offering her due homages Jayanti asked the Lord, “Oh Lord, when is the soul light and when is the soul heavy ?"
Lord replied, "Lady, Soul becomes light by abandoning eighteen kinds of sins and becomes heavy by committing them.” What an excellent and striking reply!
Body becomes heavy with diseases and weight; similarly soul becomes heavy with Karmas; but the worst part of it is that the heaviness is not felt like gross heaviness of material commodities.
