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Appendix-7 The relation between Bharata and the elephant Bhuvanalankara
When Lord Sri Rṣabhadeva became an ascetic, four thousand kings renounced the world and joined him. He would not consume food or talk with anyone. He just moved from one place to other. Kaccha and Mahākaccha, the chief munis, were asked by the others, "When and how would they eat?" The Munis replied, "We do not know, for we did not ask Lord anything before our initiation and now, Lord does not answer any query. Now, we are between the horns of a dilemma, for, we can neither return home, nor can we survive without food. Thinking this, they started a new cult, which had comparatively lenient rules. It was called the cult of Tapasa's. Candrodaya, the son of King Prahlada and Surodaya, the son of King Suprabha were two of those Tāpasas. After many births, Candrodaya was born as Prince Kulnkara of Gajapuranagara and Surodaya was born in the same city as brahamin Śrutirati. In due course of time, Prince Kulankara was coronated.
Once, when the King Kulankara was on his way to the hermitage of a tāpasa, he came across a muni, who possessed avadhigyāna. The muni said, "O Great king! you are on your way to meet a tapasa, who is performing pancagni sädhanā. When you reach his hermitage, you will notice a pile of wood, which would be utilised as fuel. A snake has somehow got into the pile. The snake, in his past birth, was your grandfather, King Kşemänkara. Hurry up and free the poor snake." King Kulankara was restless, when he heard this. He rushed to the hermitage and freed the snake from the pile of fuel. He began to wonder, "My grandfather was a noble king and yet his karmas made him a crawling reptile. My fate could be worse than this, if I do not take care of my soul." This chain of thoughts created an urge to renounce the world in his heart.
In the meantime, priest Śrutirati, who
in fact was a reincarnation of Surodaya, hurried to the king and said, "O mighty king, Jain dharma is not a part of your family tradition, yet, if you are really keen on being initiated into ascetism, by all means do it, but not now. You may do so, when you reach the twilight years. Why are you disrupting
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the pattern of administration." When the king heard this, he was disheartened and began to wonder, "What should I do now." His queen Śrīdāmā had adulterous relation with the royal priest Śrutirati. When she saw her husband in a tensive mood, she thought, "The king has certainly learnt about my adulterous liasion with his priest. I must hurry and murder him, before he exposes me."
She and the priest Śrutirati hatched a conspiracy. Śrīdāmā served him poisoned meal and killed her own husband. This is the irony of karma. Priest Śrutirati conspired to kill Kulankara, his own friend of past birth. Woe to the carnal desires, for, they induced an Aryan woman to assassinate her own husband.
After many rebirths, both the king and the priest were born in the family of a learned brahmin as twins. The twins were named as Vinoda and Ramana. Ramana left Rajagṛhi to learn the vedas. Vinoda was married to a brahmin maiden named Śākhā. When Ramana finished his academic pursuits, he returned to Rajagrhi, but the night sentinel did not open the gates of the city. Ramana, therefore decided to spend the remaining night in the temple of a yakṣa, which was situated at the outskirts. Vinoda's wife Śākhā had adulterous relations with a brahmin named Datta. She had agreed to meet him during the advanced hours of night in the same temple, where Ramana was sleeping. She reached the temple as usual and her husband Vinoda followed her. When she saw Ramana, who was fast asleep, she thought that he was her lover Datta. She woke him and they indulged into passionate action. Seeing this, Vinoda attacked his own brother with a sword. Ramana pulled out his dagger and in a fierce duel that ensued, Ramana was killed. Śākhā plunged Ramana's dagger in the heart of her husband and murdered him.
Vinoda's soul transmigrated through many births and was born in the family of a rich trader as Dhana. Ramana's soul too transmigrated through many cycles of birth and was born in the same family. He was named Bhuṣaṇa. He married thirty two young maidens at his father's insistence. Once, he was enjoying the beauty of the night on the terrace, accompanied by his wives. During the fourth hour of the night, he saw
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