Jailer

Author(s): Abhayshekharsuri, Sujata P Kapadia
Publisher: Harshadray Private Limited

Page 60

Purandar, who had a son named Gajabhanjan (Aghat's past life). One day, while playing in the garden, the Prince espied a monk practising penance. Instead of noticing the dignity of austerity of the monk, he saw his body and his clothes which were smeared with dirt and dust. He felt a disgust towards the monk, “He is so filthy!” This was the crime for which he had the misfortune of being born as the son of a female servant in the next life. The Prince's friend, who was devout, paid his obeisance to the monk, touched his feet and sat there to listen to him speak. Seeing this, the Prince also followed suit. The sage then delivered a sermon manifesting the greatness of non-violence and kindness which touched the Prince's heart. He avowed never to kill an innocent, mobile creature. He also took the opportunity of offering the first meal to the great sage who had been on a month long fast.
A malpractice of slaughtering a male buffalo, on the occasion of Navaratri' was prevalent in those days. King Purandar ordered Prince Gajabhanjan to sacrifice the buffalo with a sword. The Prince was in a dilemma. On the one hand was his vow of non-violence and on the other was the command of his father, the King. He lifted the sword on King's insistence. The moment he thought about his vow, the sword stopped midway. The King gestured to him to try again. The Prince lifted his sword to strike again but it abruptly stopped, having come within an inch of the buffalo's neck.
Such a thing was repeated four times (for these past
Navaratri = a nine day festival preceding ‘Dasahara'
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