________________
Dasarath
163
“What was the purpose of your going there, my dear sir ?"
"I went there to be present at the ceremony of the Deeksha of Bhagwan Simandar Swami, and thus to render my life blessed. I was greatly thrilled and delighted to witness the Deeksha ceremony which had been organised by the greatest gods and men of outstanding spiritual excellence. I was overwhelmed with delight and elation. From there, I went to the peaks of the Meru Mountain. I rendered devotion to the permanent Jin images on the Meru peaks and from there I went to Lanka".
“What was the purpose of your unexpected visit to Lanka ?” said Dasarath.
"Oh king! I went there to see personally the city of Lanka ruled over by the Prathivasudev Ravana, and to learn the details of the way in which he was carrying out his unexampled administration. After going to Lanka, first I visited the temple of Lord Shanthinath and rendered my heartfelt devotion to the Lord and then I went to the magnificent court of Ravan. I went there with a certain purpose but what I saw there was different. I learnt there something totally contrary to what I had expected to learn. I heard such a thing there that I had to retreat from there and come to you....”
"Oh divine sage! What did you hear at Lanka ?” Dasarath became eager to know what had happened at Lanka.
"A certain extraordinarily intelligent Soothsayer had come to the court of Ravan from a great distance. The King of Lanka received him with due honour. With the purpose of testing the depth of his knowledge and brilliance, Ravan asked him a recondite question : "Oh you might scholar! The Jiva that keeps wandering in Samsar takes birth and dies. The heavenly beings are said to be immortal; but their immortality is apparent. Even they have to experience death”.
"What you say is true, Oh king !" said the Soothsayer.
"I am not afraid of death. If death comes to me I will receive it with a smiling face. Yet, I desire to know whether
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
