Bhavana Bodh

Author(s): Shrimad Rajchandra
Publisher: Shrimad Rajchandra Ashram

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50
BHAVANA BODH
was thenafter sitting in some Brahmin's house. In that family a very agreeable and sweet dinner of rice and milk was prepared due to some household affections. The children were sitting all round the pot of sweets to share them. This robber began to touch this pot, seeing which the household Brahmin's wife said," O you! The top of all fools ! Why do you touch the pot and make it unusable by your untouchable hands? When you touch this pot, the food in it will be untouchable for us. Do you not realise this simple fact of common behaviour ?" Hearing these words, the robber got enraged and in the feat of anger, he killed that poor Brahmin's wife. Further, when the husband of the killed wife who was taking bath, came running and tried to save his wife, he too was killed by this robber. At that time a cow from Brahmin's house ran to the robber and tried to hurt him by her horns but this cow was also killed by the robber. While the cow was breathing her last she gave birth to a calf and seeing this calf trembling near the dying cow, this robber was filled with pity and he was overpowered by remonstrance for killing Brahmin family and the cow! He began to hate himself by acknowledging very dangerous sins he committed in killing many lives including those of this time. He was shocked as to when would he be absolved of all these sinful actions. He felt that it was better to work for soul, leaving the deadly life of robbery.
With this high aspiration, this robber extracted all his hair of the head out and with a strong desire, he went to the outskirts of the city and rested in one of the corners of the city in KAYOTSARGA. Because he had been the source of trouble and anxiety to the people of this whole city, he was tortured by all who passed by near him with pelting stones and bricks at him, by striking hilts of swords to his body, by showering him with dust and by heating him with lumps of earth. Thus for about a month and a half, these people tried to give terrible troubles to that robber and then stopped further. Dradh Prahari endured all ailments peacefully. Then completing KAYOTSARGA, he went to another corner of the city and stood there in the same way, adopting KAYOTSARGA. There also he endured peacefully all hurts and ailments from the people for one and half months. One by one he