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JAIN JOURNAL
The replies of Gautama fascinated Atimukta and he accompanied the Sramana to a congregation in a garden at the outskirt of the city where Mahavira was delivering his sermons. Deeply discerning the truth of the voice the prince expressed to Mahavira his eagerness to be initiated in the order of the Nirgrantha. The lord approved his prayer but at the same time asked him to obtain the approval of his parents. When the prince returned to the palace his parents, the royal couple were waiting for him with anxiety. After much persuasions the tearful queen agreed while the king requested him to accept the throne for a single day before undertaking pravrajyā i.e. the act of renouncing the world. Perhaps, it was the intention of his father to bind him with the golden chain of pleasure, lust and the pampered pride of a monarch. Though a small boy as he was the life of passion and physical happiness was set before him as an ideal. After the lustration of Atimukta with its glamour and the accompanying performance of ballerinas rhyming with orchestra their lissome beauty the crowned king when asked by his father what more he desired claimed after descending from the throne his alms-bowl in the way of renunciation.
Years went away after Atimuka joined the order of the Nirgrantha and a day came when Atimukta entered unaware into the realm of ultimate realisation. Accompanying a group of aged monks he was traversing a landscape wet with rains. They were moving through a lonely way towards Gunasila Caitya at the outskirts of Rajagrha. At a time a streamlet with its gurgling flow brought recollections to the mind of Atimukta, his tender moments of childhood, how he played with others of his age, particularly his feelings when a little girl Campa competed with him in floating tiny make-believe 'boats' in a rivulet. Atimukta was absorbed in a reverie being oblivious of his companions, the other Sramanas and remembered how his cwn boat' floated away in the rain-water while that of Campa was turned over by a wave. When he was delighted at his tossing 'boat' Campa claimed that it was actually hers. This made him loose his temper and strike Campa. In the midst of the thought Atimukta floated his wooden alm's bowl in the rippling water as if to rehearse the moment lost in years. He felt his childhood emotion surging up again and he muttered that it was his toy-craft of the past as the holy begging bowl of the moment was actually carried away by the streamlet. It was difficult for him to forget this event which happened in the dream-land years when he was a little prince. The accompanying Sramanas left him being perplexed at the mysterious and inexplicable reverie which they thought should be told to Mahavira. Nevertheless there was an underlying sweetness and grief in the behaviour of Atimukta which had a lyrical harmony with the soft glamour of the rain-soaked panorama in the
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