Book Title: Jain Legend Vol 2
Author(s): Hastimal Maharaj, Shuganchand Jain, P S Surana
Publisher: Hastimal Maharaj Shugan C Jain P S Surana
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In spite of the immense agony that the man was undergoing, he could not come out of the delusion of tasting the droplets of honey. Tired of waiting for a long time, Vidy dhara understanding the man's delusion finally gave up his efforts to pull him out and returned to his heavenly abode. The man undergoing all sorts of sufferings, finally miserably died.
Jamb Kum ra said, “Prabhava! The man in this story represents a worldly soul; the dense forest stands for the world; the elephant is the inevitable death; the well resembles the births of mortals and celestial angels; the merchant resembles to desires of the World: the python denotes hell and animal World; the other four snakes are the four deadly passions that lead to perdition - anger, pride, delusion and greed; the branch of the tree stands for life span of every being; the white and black rats symbolise the bright and dark fortnights of the lunar month gnawing the branch of life with their sharp teeth which represent day and night respectively; the tree stands for non-restraint and wrong belief which binds the soul to karma; the drop of honey represents the transient pleasures of the five senses; the bees stand for innumerable maladies of the body and finally Vidy dhara is the Guru who uplifts the griefStricken mortals from the well of mundane existence"!
Jamb Kum ra then questioned Prabhava, “Now tell me Prabhava, under such circumstances, how much happiness or sorrow the man hanging in the well was experiencing?
Prabhava thought for a moment and replied, "While dangling on the well for a long time waiting for the drop of honey to fall into his mouth was the only thing that gave him some amount of happiness; other than that, everything else around him was only frightful & sorrowful.
Jamb Kum ra said, “Prabhava! The same is pertinent to the joys and sorrows of human life. Surrounded by all kinds of fears, where is the real happiness for that man in the well, even for namesake? In such a situation, the drop of honey that gave him pleasure can be portrayed as his imaginary happiness, but not real”.
Jamb Kum ra questioned Prabhava yet again, “Prabhava! Seeing a person stranded in the midst of such pitiful and calamitous situation, if
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