Jain Story Book

Author(s): Manu Doshi
Publisher: Manu Doshi

Page 38

the court. Bhadrä however sent the reply that her son never got down from the upper floor of her palace and in turn invited the King to her place.
Shrenik accepted her invitation. As he came, she took him to the fifth floor, from where she called ShäliBhadrä to come down from the seventh floor to see the king. ShäliBhadra had never heard anything about king. He thought that king was some thing that his mother wanted to buy. He therefore replied that she could decide about the king herself. Then Bhadrä went up and explained that king was the lord of the Magadha and was accordingly his lord too. ShäliBhadra therefore came down and paid his respect respect to the king as advised by his mother.
He had always thought that he was the lord of everything that concerned him. The idea of having a lord over him therefore hurt him. Once along with a friend, he happened to go to Acharya Dharmaghosh. After listening his sermon, ShäliBhadrä asked the Acharya how he could gain a status where he would not have any overlord. Acharya replied that as long as he desired something, he had to depend upon others and dependency creates overlordship. The only way to become really independent was to give up everything and to lead renounced life like his father. ShäliBhadra therefore got inclined to renounce but his mother told him that renunciation meant leading a very tough life. As he was brought up in heavenly luxury, it would be very hard for him to give up everything all of a sudden. It would be better for him to give up his attachment for everything one by one. ShäliBhadrä had maximum attachment for his wives. He therefore decided to leave them one after another and planned to renounce on the 33rd day.
The news of his intention soon reached his sister SuBhadrä. Her husband Dhannä once saw tears in her eyes. When asked about the cause of her grief, she told him about the intention of ShäliBhadrä to renounce. Dhannä told her that if her brother was really serious about renouncing, he should better leave all of them immediately. SuBhadra was unable to say anything, but another wife replied that it was easy to say so and asked whether he could leave even one of his six wives. Dhannä had already developed a high sense of detachment and was really thinking to renounce. He saw this opportunity. He instantly decided to leave all of them. Then approaching ShäliBhadrä he asked the latter to join him in renouncement. ShäliBhadra was very much encouraged by what Dhannä had done. He also left everything and went to Lord Mahavir along with Dhannä. They adopted monkhood and left Rajagrihi along with the Lord.
Both of them very soon got well versed in all the Agamas (Scriptures). They were keen to follow the path of salvation and were observing severe austerities. Once they came back to Räjgruhi along with the Lord. They were due for the termination of one month's fast. They therefore went to Bhadra's place for alms. When the monks came to her house, Bhadra was getting ready to go
to the camp in order to see them. As the monks had become very slim on account of severe austerities, none of her servants could recognize them. Thus they did not get any alms. On their way back, they however got yogurt from a milkmaid who happened to be ShäliBhadra's mother in the previous life and terminated their fast. After that with the permission of the Lord, they went up the nearby Vaibhargiri hill and resorted to Anashan (Fast unto death). At the end of Anashan,
they attained the heaven of Sarwartha Siddhi.
(17)
Abhaykumar and Rohineya
In times of Lord Mahavir, there was a burglar named Lohkhur. He lived in a remote cave of Vaibhargiri near Räjgruhi. He was very smart in his activity and did not leave any trace of his burglary. His wife's name was Rohini and they had a son who was named Rohineya. As Rohineya grew up, he picked up the art of burglary from his father and eventually became expert