Bhagwan Mallinath

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

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TIRTHANKARS screen they immediately noticed the beautiful statue of Malli. Each of them thought it was Princess Malli herself and anxiously waited to go inside. They also noticed that Malli was far more beautiful than they had expected and fell more deeply in love with her. As they were waiting, princess Malli entered the hall through a secret tunnel and standing behind the statue opened the top. The food that was put in the statue had rotted and emitted a foul odor. The smell was so obnoxious that the kings had to cover their nose. Thereupon Malli presented herself and asked why they could not stand the smell of the person whom they loved so much. They admitted that they could not bear the foul odor. Malli then explained that the food she ate was the same food in the statue. The food in her body did not stink because her soul prevented the rotting. However, when her soul would leave the body, her body too would start to decay. It is the nature of the body to degenerate, decay, and disintegrate. Malli asked the kings, "What is the purpose of being attached to a body when it is destined to rot eventually? Is it not worthwhile to pursue something that will last forever?" As the kings stood there in amazement, she explained that they were seven very close friends and had done everything together. Upon hearing this they recalled their past lives and what they had renounced. This raised an acute sense of detachment for the short-lived worldly life. All of them decided to renounce the world in order to enhance their spiritual pursuit that they had left undone in the earlier life. Very elaborate arrangements were made for the renunciation ceremony of Princess Malli. She gave up everything and adopted self-initiation at a place known as Sahasramravan. She destroyed all of her destructive Karma (Ghati Karmas that affect the nature and quality of the soul) in a very short time and attained Keval-jnan (omniscience) on the very same day. She became the 19th Tirthankar of the Jain religion. Thereafter she traveled throughout the country for a long time to show the path of liberation to others. Ultimately, she attained liberation on Mount Sametshikhar. The Shvetambar tradition believes that Tirthankar Mallinath was a female and the other 23 Tirthankars were male. Idols of Tirthankars represent the qualities of the Arihantas and not their physical body. Hence, the physical appearance of the idols of all the Tirthankars is the same without any indication of male or female gender. This body is a mere vessel that holds the soul. Upon death, the soul simply moves to another body unless one attains liberation from the cycle of birth and death. One needs to realize that this veil of skin and flesh is mortal. Physical beauty is deceptive and temporary. Princess Malli made this point through the statue and the rotten food. The importance of our human life is that it is a means of attaining liberation from the cycle of birth and death. One needs to rise above the physical aspects of life and use this life to progress spiritually so that the soul can attain liberation. 28 Jain STORY BOOK