Book Title: Jain Legend Vol 1
Author(s): Hastimal Maharaj, Shuganchand Jain, P S Surana
Publisher: Hastimal Maharaj Shugan C Jain P S Surana

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Page 194
________________ When Devak asked the third set of two monks if'rama a nirgranthas do not get food in K a's city of gods, Dv rik , that you have entered for offerings from the same family thrice', the monk-twins said, clarifying – “No, it is not like that. In fact, we are six brothers born to the same mother and look similar in form, colour and body. Actually, we were exchanged immediately after we were born, with still-born babies of the lay couple M tavats and Sulas by the god Hari aigame . Sulas brought us up and got us married. When we grew up, hearing the story of the change in our families from the mouth of Lord Nemin tha, we became disinclined and to free ourselves from this illusory web, we accepted initiation from the Lord Nemin tha." Hearing this form the monks, Devak fell unconscious on the ground. When she regained consciousness, her eyes were filled with tears and milk started oozing out of her breasts. Crying, she said – “How unfortunate I am that my six sons were taken away from me and when they meet me, they do so in such a state that they have broken all worldly ties and renounced.” Hearing her pitiable sobbing, other people too reached there. The news spread in the entire Dv rik . The remaining four monk-brothers too reached there and all the six monks tried to explain to Devak – “In this world nobody is a mother or father to anybody. Here all living beings, bound by their karmas, wander about in the cycle of birth and death. A person is born as someone's father in one birth and his son in the next. A Lord of one birth becomes the servant in the next. A mother of the previous birth becomes a lioness in her next birth and kills her sons of the previous birth. In this world, a person is suffering within a web he has created for himself, even if he wants to break free, he cannot. Seeing this horrible, fearsome state of the world, we became disenchanted. We accepted the path of restraint from Lord Nemin tha and since then we are immersed in breaking the root cause of the cycle of coming and going in the world.” Hearing all this, K a said in a tearful voice – “What a strange thing this is that I am enjoying the wealth of threedivisions and my own brothers are wandering accepting alms. Brothers, think that we are born today. Let the seven of us live together from today and together enjoy the joy and wealth.” Vasudeva too agreed with K a and requested the six monkbrothers to give up the monk status and return to worldly life. The monks said – "In the same way as a deer, which has released itself from a hunter's trap never returns to it, having come out of the horrible web of sensual enjoyments, we do not want to get stuck in it again. Monks, 194

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