________________
114
Appendix-3 Previous Births of Dasaratha, Muni Satyabhūti and King Janaka
Bhāvana, a trader, lived in Senapuranagara with his wife Dipika. They had a daughter named Upāsti. She hated the ascetics. This sin made her life miserable, and after her death, she was born in different species of animal life many times. Then, she was born at Candrapuranagara as Varuna. Varuna was very generous to the ascetics and treated them with reverence. In his past births, this very soul hated ascetics, but when his sins were cleansed, became their ardent devotee. A generous person is born as a great man in his next birth. When Varuna died, he was born as a yugalika man at the Uttarakuru, situated in the Ghataki khanda. Being a soul of minimum sins, when the yugalika Varuna died, he was reborn as a diety. After living a very long life in the celestial world, he was born as Prince Nandivardhana, the son of King Nandighosa of Puskalavijaya. His father King Nandighosa coronated him and accepted the ascetic life. After completing his life as a diety in the celestial world called Graiveyaka, he was born as Muni Satyabhūti. Nandivardhana was a faithful follower of Śrāvaka dharma. He became a diety in the fifth celestial world after his death. From there, he was born as Prince Süryanjaya, the son of King Ratnamali of Sasipura nagara, situated in the northern ranges of the mount Vaitaḍhya. Once, King Ratnamali declared a war with the proud ruler of Simhapura. On reaching there, he tried to put the entire city ablaze by using his Ägneya Vidya. Suddenly, a diety from the eighth celestial world appeared before him and said, "Do not do this.... pray refrain... do not
Jain Education International
King Kanaka
Upamanyu (Priest) Elephant
Arisudana (Son) 8th Heaven.
Kanaka (Brother)
King Janaka
TABLE
King Bhurinandana (Father)
Python.
2nd Hell Ratnamāli (Father) 7th Heaven Janaka (Brother)
commit such a rash and thoughtless action, for you shall reap its harvest in the next life. In one of your past lives, you were King Bhurinandana. I was then your priest and my name was Upamanyu. Once, you pledged that you will give up the habit of consuming meat. I misguided you and made you eat meat. I was then assassinated by a strong man, named Skanda and born as an elephant, but was killed in a war. Then, I was born as your son, Prince Arisudana. When I remembered my past births, I became an ascetic and was born as a deity in the eighth celestial world. But you, in your life as Bhurinandana, suffered a lot and became a python. From there, you went in the second hell. After enduring the tortures of hell for a prolonged time you were born as King Ratnamāli. The consumption of meat has given you so much of grief. Now, do not add to it by setting this city abaze. I was Upamanyu your royal priest and now I am a diety. I am here to prevent you from committing this heinous crime and the worst of sins."
When the diety finished his speech, King Ratnamali and his son Suryanjaya were filled with disgust. They both accepted the dikṣā and became mendicants. Acaryadeva Śri Tilakasundarasuriśvarji Mahārāja initiated both, King Ratnamāli and his son in the order of asceticizm. After death, they became dieties in the seventh celestial world and when they completed their span as dieties, Suryanjaya was born as King Dasaratha and King Ratnamali was born as King Janaka. When Upamanyu finished his span in the eighth celestial world, he was born as Prince Kanakarāja, the younger brother of Janaka. When King Dasaratha heard about his rebirth, he felt the urge to become an ascetic. The irony of karma is evident in the fact that in one life Ratnamali and Suryanjaya were father and son and in other birth they became relatives. Upāsti, a girl who hated asectics, was born as King Dasaratha. When we realise this irony of karma, we must give up adharma and strive for salvation.
Dasaratha Upästi
Many Birth
Varuna Yugalika
Diety.
Nandivardhana (Son) 5th Heaven. Süryanjaya (Son) 7th Heaven. Dasaratha
For Personal & Private Use Only
Satyabhuti Muni
Nandighosa (Father) Graiveyaka
Satyabhūti Muni
www.jainelibrary.org
