Drushtant Kathao

Author(s): Shrimad Rajchandra, Dinubhai M Patel
Publisher: Shrimad Rajchandra Ashram

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Mrugaputra
MRUGAPUTRA Example - There was a beautiful city named Sugriva, which was bedecked with various kinds of gardens and parks full of beautiful trees. On the throne of this city was a ruler named Balbhadra whose sweet speaking chief queen's name was Mruga and this couple gave birth to a prince called Balashri, who in his youth was well known as Mrugaputra-son of Mruga. This Mrugaputra was most dear and a source of joy and happiness to his parents. Mrugaputra, though a prince and living worldly life, was behaving as a great ascetic - Samyati, and so he was worthy of being regarded as Damishavar - the head of all ascetics.
Mrugaputra was enjoying divine pleasure with his affectionate wife in his grand palace just as deities enjoy in heaven. He was always cheerful, spreading joy and mirth around him. The floor of the palace was decorated with all sorts of jewels and diamonds. One day prince Mrugaputra was sitting in a balcony of his palace from where he could clearly observe the whole city Sugriva. He caught sight of a square, a meeting place of four royal roads and therein, the place where three roads met, attracted his sight and there he saw a quite saint, who has the abode of great penance, strict discipline, strong restraint, noble character and highest virtues. Mrugaputra fixed his sight on this great saint and the more he gazed at him from a distance, the more he was attracted towards him and he looked at him minutely.
After some time spent in gazing at this great saint, he said, "I know that I have seen before somewhere an appearance very similar to this saint," and saying these words he became one with the life of this saint. The layer of illusion of his soul disappeared and he achieved quietness. The knowledge of his previous births shone in him and as a result Mrugaputra, enjoyer of royal riches, remembered his ascetic life of his previous birth and immediately became non-attached to his present worldly life, and lost all interest in sensual pleasures and got attached to the life of strict ascetic discipline. He approached his parents and said to them as under :
"I had heard of five great and difficult vows in my previous birth; I had also, at that time, heard of infinite miseries of hell; I had also heard of similar miseries accompanying animal life. I feel much disturbed by such infinite miseries and I have decided to put an end to all these miseries. O my respected elders! Please permit me to adopt those five great vows to enable me to cross over this worldly ocean."
Hearing these words of quietude from their son, the parents exhorted him to enjoy worldly life in full measure. Feeling sorry at this invitation, Mrugaputra says, "O my mother ! and O my father! I have already enjoyed the pleasures you exhort me to enjoy and I find these pleasures as poisonous fruits - the fruits of kimpak tree. These enjoyments result in bitter pain and they are always the causes of miseries. This body is transient and totally impure, it has originated from impurity and it is the temporary abode of the soul and it is the source of infinite pain and unhappiness; it is the store of diseases, old age and afflictions. Why should I feel attracted to such a body? There is no rule about it as to whether one will have to leave it in his childhood, youth or old age. Such a body is like drop of the foam of water. How can one have affection on such a body! By obtaining such human body, one has to suffer disease like lucoderma, fever, leprosy etc. and then there comes oldage and death. How can I love such a body?"
This worldly life is full of miseries such as birth, old age, disease and death. One has to compulsorily leave this body in sorrowful state one day upon death leaving all land, farms, house, wealth, family, sons and daughters, wife, brothers and all such worldly relations. Just as
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