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Jain Society of Greater Detroit
PRATISHTHA MAHOTSAV ASHADH 4-12 V.S. 2054
SUNANDA AND ROOPSEN
adapted from Muni Shri Arunodhaysagari and Muni Shri Vinaysagarji's "Jain Kathasagar, Part 1"
translated and compiled by. Leena Choksi Komal Choksi Ashok Choksi
Thought alone, even unaccompanied by word or deed, has the capacity and power to bring pain and karma to the soul. Even simple harboring in the mind of unde- sirable thoughts, though this may not be translated into action, nevertheless leads to contamination of the soul and perpetu- ation in the cycle of birth, death and re- birth and sufferings therein.
In a kingdom called Pruthvibhushen, there was once a 12-year old princess named Sunanda. She was once on the roof of the palace, taking in the sights of the city with her friends when her gaze fell upon a disturbing domestic scene: a man was relentlessh physically abusing his wife who begged him to cease. She proclaimed her innocence, but to no avail. The innocent and somewhat naive Sunanda, stunned, lamented the destiny of women whose fate it seemed to be ill-treated at the hands of their busbands and in-laws. She then proclaimed that she would never marry and that this should be conveyed to her parents and it was dutifully done so by her friends.
The years passed and when she was sixteen Sunanda witnessed yet another scene from the roof- top. This time she saw a beautiful home in which there was a couple that was blissfully happy, entwined in their love for each other and she thought to herself that she would never be lucky enough to have such happiness herself. Her friends reassured her, saying that she was a princess and so of course she would,
and took her downstairs where they sat at a window overlooking the marketplace.
There Sunanda saw Roopsen, the son of a merchant, standing at the paanwala's shop. Sunanda became aroused at the sight of him and was overwbelmed by his handsomeness. Her friends reminded her that he was one of the male species that she so despised. Sunanda however sent him a cryptic note to assess his intelligence and when Roopsen responded appropriately be passed the test. Thereafter the two would meet daily to exchange gazes and letters and soon they were perpetually on each others' minds.
A few months later there were festival celebrations on the outskirts of the city and the entire kingdom was to congregate there. Sunanda feigned a severe headache and thereby excused herself from the festivities and remained at the palace with her friends. Sunanda beaved a sigh of relief when her mother left and they were alone, for outside her window was hanging a rope ladder that Roopsen bad been given instructions to shake and be let up, thereby giving the couple the time together that they had so longed for.
Under the darkness of the evening Mabalav the gambler had just lost a game that rendered him penniless with debts yet to clear and was wandering the roads of the deserted city for a home or shop to rob. He came across the dangling rope ladder at the
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