Jain Story Book

Author(s): Manu Doshi
Publisher: Manu Doshi

Page 24

allow any one to pluck flowers or fruits. If some kids came to the hermitage, he would run to hit them. Consequently he got known as Chandkaushik. Once while he was out, some youths from Shwetambi came there and began to pluck fruits and flowers from the hermitage. As Chandkaushik came back, he could notice the rampaging youths. He rushed to hit them with his newly sharpened hatchet. The youths fled on seeing him, but Chandkaushik ran to pursue them. Being blinded by the rage, he fell in a pit. Thereby the hatchet hit his neck and he died on the spot.
On account of the too much attachment for the hermitage, Chandkaushik was reborn at the same place as a poisonous cobra. It was so poisonous that it could poison any one even by its sight. People could easily make out that the hermit Chandkaushik was reborn as the cobra to guard the hermitage and called him by that very name. Every one was so scared of the cobra that no one dared to come close to the hermitage. In due course the road leading to the hermitage became forlorn.
That was the time when Lord Mahävir had renounced the worldly life and was moving about in pursuit of the lasting happiness. During the second year of His renouncement, the Lord happened to pass that side on His way to Shwetambi. As it was dangerous to pass by the hermitage on account of the presence of Chandkaushik, the people nearby requested the Lord to go by another route. But He preferred to go on that very path. As He came to the hermitage, He looked around and decided to stand there in meditation. The cobra saw the Lord from a distance. It was amazed that a human being had dared to come over there. It rushed forward casting the poisonous sight towards the Lord. To its utter disappointment, the cobra noticed that the man was still standing erect instead of succumbing to its poisonous glance. Thereupon it came near to bite Him. The cobra bit His foot and immediately withdrew lest its victim may fall upon it. The Lord however still stood unaffected. It was hard for Chandkaushik to believe that any one could stay alive after its venomous bite. But the Lord was standing there, as if nothing had happened.
Enraged by the ineffectiveness of its bite, Chandkaushik bit the Lord's foot again and again. That however did not have any impact. The cobra then stood glancing at the Lord with marvel. Then the Lord uttered with the most compassionate voice, "Chandkaushik, try to understand, consider what you had been and what you are at present. Can you make out where the rage can lead to?" These words had a miraculous effect on Chandkaushik. It started thinking and remembered that he had been a monk observing severe austerities and had been reduced to the present state simply because he could not control his temper. Dwelling deeper over that, Chandkaushik could make out the futility of the earlier austerities and evil consequence of indulging in anger. Observing the equanimity of the Lord, it could make out that no ritual or any other activity can be helpful, unless it is associated by equanimity. Realizing the immense obligation of the Lord for opening its eyes, Chandkaushik fell at His feet and decided to maintain equanimity thenceforth. It could also realize that whatever it had done so far, had turned out to be harmful to itself. So, from that very time it decided to pass the rest of the life in seriously contemplating about its true self.
The Lord stayed there for some time to make sure that Chandkaushik had really turned peaceful. Then, noting that His mission of calming it was over, the Lord proceeded on his way leaving the cobra in meditation. As He safely came out of the woods, the people stood in marvel. They could not make out how He could have remained alive after facing Chandkaushik. They were curious to know what would have happened to the cobra. They guardedly came near the hermitage and found that every thing was peaceful. As they did not encounter Chandkaushik, they became a little bolder and entered the hermitage. Still they did not notice the cobra anywhere. Then all of a sudden, someone noticed from a distance that Chandkaushik was lying peacefully. They thought that it must have been dead. But coming closer, they could see that it was alive and still was not moving. Some one tried to touch it with a stick. But Chandkaushik did not move. They thought that the great ascetic Lord Mahävir might have performed some miracle by which the cobra was turned so peaceful.