Jain Ramayana Part 1

Author(s): Bhadraguptasuri
Publisher: Vishvakalyan Prakashan Trust Mehsana

Page 26

14
JAIN RAMAYAN
sky speedily towards an island called Nandishwardweep. The heart of everyone was overflowing with devotion for the Jin. They were all self-forgetful. But everyone desired heartily to attain spiritual elevation by worshipping and saluting the imperishable images of the Jins. Naturally, even in the heart of Shrikant, there arose lofty contemplations. In his heart also, there arose the desire to visit the Nandishwar hill and attain spiritual elevation; and he got ready to set off on this holy pilgrimage.
He ordered his men to get ready his supernatural airship, and he began making enthusiastic preparations to set off on the pilgrimage. He took with him the holy substances necessary for the worship of the Jins. He left Kishkindha and followed the heavenly beings and Vidyadhars who were going towards the Nandishwardweep.
The lofty, sacred and ascending souls welcome happily any opportunity that comes their way and attain benefit from it with the desire of crossing the ocean of Samsar and of attaining spiritual elevation and purification; and they do not again sink to the bottom of perdition and impure passions and sensual cravings; and they carry out all possible endeavours to reap the fullest benefit from such an opportunity.
The natural propensity of human beings is to engage themselves easily in sinful activities and acquire questionable and sinful addictions and obsessions and to take the support of sinful props; and on account of these sinful props, sinful propensities and actions keep increasing.
But Shrikant took the support of an event that would bring spiritual welfare. The joy of carrying out a pilgrimage began to surge out in his heart like a spontaneous spring of sinuous waves. His supernatural airship was flying through the sky with the speed of wind; but, at one point, it stopped suddenly with a jerk.
How did it stop? Who stopped it thus ? All of a sudden, Shrikant's face grew serious and thoughtful, and he raised his eye-brows in wonder. He closed his lips tightly. For a moment, he remained calm; and when he looked down, he saw there a