Jain Legend Vol 2

Author(s): Hastimal Maharaj, Shuganchand Jain, P S Surana
Publisher: Hastimal Maharaj Shugan C Jain P S Surana

Page 259

towards worldly riches or sensual pleasures. If your daughter really loves me, then let her follow and observe my path - the path of self-restraint which bestows the highest happiness.
When Rukmi listened to the words of sacrifice and detachment of rya Vajra, which were sanctified by penance and are logical, the black shroud of ignorance was pulled off and her inner eyes opened. She immediately took the vow of temperance and observing it, rya Rukmi started her spiritual wanderings along with other female monks.
Even though the pleased J ambhaka Devas, the friends of rya Vajra in his previous birth, gifted him with the power to walk in the air', yet with his unfathomable scriptural knowledge, from the chapter ‘Mahaparij? from cr mga S tra, rya Vajra found out power to walk in the air and during the dreadful time of famine, as the time and situation demanded, inspired by kindness to the people he used that power and saved many lives.
Thus the versatile genius c rya Vajra Sw m, during his tenure as
c rya, wandered from east to north of India. That time as there were no signs of rain, a severe famine broke out in the entire north. Due to the scarcity of food resources, the people gripped under pangs of hunger and misery raised hue and cry. Animals, birds, children, aged people, everyone started falling victim to starvation deaths as the land completely dried up without any grass, flowers, fruits and crops. The congregation undergoing the miserable plight of natural calamity came running to c rya Vajra seeking protection.
Though it was against principles and code of monkhood, in response to the piteous request of the congregation, with a view to save the lives of many and from the perspective of welfare of both the society as a whole and the religion, rya Vajra using his extraordinary power to fly carried the congregation to Mahe war pur. There the king, being a follower of Buddha Dharma, was anti-Jains. But under the influence of the great
c rya Vajra, he too became a Jain Votary which propagated the religion immensely.
India alone was not victimised by a chain of famines, but even other countries faced the same situation from time immemorial, which, shook
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