Jain Spirit 2003 06 No 15

Author(s): Jain Spirit UK
Publisher: UK Young Jains

Page 44

CHILDREN
42
NCE UPON A time, long long
O
ago, the gods
descended on earth and built a beautiful city called Ayodhya. The city had two walls, one of mud and the other of stone. In the centre was the palace of Nabhi and his wife Marudevi, the parents of Rshabha, the first Jain Tirthankara.
MO THE TALE OFQUE BHARAT AND BAHUBALI
Recounted by Sudha Seshadri and illustrated by Aneesh Datey
Rshabha married two princesses, called Sumangla and Sunanda. Queen Sumangla gave birth to a hundred sons, of whom the eldest was named Bharat, and a daughter Brahmi. The younger queen Sunanda had one son called Bahubali and a daughter named Sundari.
As they grew older Rshabha taught Bharat leadership, governance and dance. Another son, Rshabhasena, learned music, yet another mastered painting, sculpture and architecture. Bahubali studied medicine and the art of warfare. Of the two sisters, Brahmi learnt the art of writing and Sundari the science of mathematics. According to legends they were among the first to receive formal education on earth.
One day, Indra, the king of the heavens, decided to remind Rshabha that he had to teach his people the Jain way of life. So Rshabha renounced the life of a king and became an ascetic. Rshabha crowned his eldest son Bharat king and appointed Bahubali as the next in command. On the day of the coronation Rshabha sought permission of his parents and other elders to renounce the world. He sat in a palanquin and was taken in a procession to a park outside the city, where he took off his royal garments and jewels. He then sat under the branches of a banyan tree and plucked out his hair in five handfuls. The hair was received by Indra, in a gem-studded casket and cast into the
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Jain Spirit June-August 2003
Ocean of Milk. All the gods showered their blessings on Rshabha.
Rshabha fasted and meditated for a whole year. By doing So, he gained omniscience: knowledge about everything there is to know. The air resounded with divine music, Indra and all the gods in heaven rejoiced. Indra danced in joy. Rshabha was now going to give his first sermon, to preach the Jain doctrine to all living creatures from the earth, heavens and netherworld. His words would, with the light of his knowledge, dispel ignorance and darkness from the earth. The gods built a special assembly hall (samavasarana) for Rshabha. Sparkling with gems, the hall had three enclosures, with four paths leading towards the centre from the east, the west, the north and the south. In the middle was a lion throne upon which Rshabha sat. Above him was a threetiered parasol and behind his head was seen the radiance of a halo. Near his throne was an asoka tree. Celestial beings surrounded his throne, beating kettle drums, waving fly-whisks as well as flags, and showering him with fragrant flowers. In a voice that resounded like thunder he taught the people the timeless Jain philosophy, which is taught by every Tirthankara who is born on earth to lead mankind towards salvation.
The King of Magadha Tirtha bows to Bharat.
387
Bahubali holds Bharat aloft
On the very day that Rshabha gained omniscience, two wonderful things happened. A son was born to Bharat and a celestial wheel appeared in Bharat's armoury. This wheel was an omen that he was destined to be a world conqueror. Bharat waited until after the rainy season to begin his