Jain Story Book

Author(s): Manu Doshi
Publisher: Manu Doshi

Page 46

Once Shrenik happened to see the picture of Sujeshtha who was one of the princesses of Vaishali. He was struck by her beauty and wanted to marry her. Through Abhayakumar the king managed to secure the attention of Sujeshtha towards him. She also got enamored of Shrenik and wanted to marry him. Both of them were thus longing for each other.
Sujeshtha's father was however not inclined to accept Shrenik as his son in law. It was therefore planned that Shrenik would secretly take Sujeshtha out of Vaishali so that they would get married in Räjgruhi. Accordingly he came to Vaishali through a secret tunnel along with his bodyguards. Instead of Sujeshtha he came across her younger sister Chellana who very much resembled Sujeshtha. Shrenik took her in the chariot and started towards Räjgruhi. His movement was however noticed and the forces of Vaishali encountered him on his way back. His bodyguards fought bravely for him and effectively prevented the Vaishali forces from interfering with the king's escape. All the sons of Sulasä however lost their lives in that brief encounter.
This was a terrible shock for Nagarath and Sulasä who were rendered childless. Sulasä had however well comprehended Lord Mahavir's precept of every worldly situation being ephemeral. She could therefore face that shock with reasonable degree of equanimity and helped her husband in maintaining the balance of mind. From then onwards they devoted their time following the precepts of the Lord and cultivating ever increasing sense of detachment. In due course people of Räjgruhi came to know of Sulasä as the staunch devotee of Lord Mahavir.
There was an ascetic named Ambad. He undertook austere penance and had thereby gained miraculous capabilities. He had high regard for the teaching of Lord Mahavir and aspired to be his follower. While the Lord was camping in Champapuri, Ambad once came to His assembly and prayed Him for the true precepts. When he rose for the purpose of going to Räjgruhi, he asked the lord whether He had any message to be conveyed in Räjgruhi. The Lord asked him to convey His blessing to Sulasä. Ambad had expected that the Lord would give some message for the king Shrenik or for other dignitary like Abhayakumar. He was therefore amazed to hear the Lord's message for Sulasä. He was curious to find out what type of devotee Sulasä сould be so that the Lord had personally conveyed His blessing for her. He decided to test her faith.
First He came to Sulasä's place as an ascetic and begged for alms. Sulasä had decided that she personally would give alms only to the monks of the Lord. So she asked her maid servant to give the alms. The next day Ambad took the form of Brahma with four faces, four hands etc. together with the pomp associated with that form. He took the position at the eastern gate of the city where people of the city flocked to bow. But Sulasä did not. The second day Ambad assumed the form of Vishnu together with all the splendor and pomp associated with that form. He sat near the southern gate of the city. More people flocked there to worship him, but Sulasä сonsidered it a fake and did not turn out. The third day He assumed the form of Shiva and sat near the western gate. Still more people turned out to worship him, but Sulasä did not. On the fourth day Ambad produced a grand Samavasaran at the northern gate of the city. He assumed the form of an omniscient Jin with all types of human, heavenly and other beings listening to his sermon. Almost the entire city turned out to listen the sermon. People were talking among themselves that the 25th Tirthankar had come to the city. Sulasä however knew that there cannot be more than 24 Tirthankaras. She therefore refused to believe that there could be any Tirthankara other than Lord Mahavir.
Thus all sorts of lustrous and seductive situations failed to attract Sulasä towards any other cult and she remained totally unaffected by any of them. Ambad was much impressed by her steadfast devotion to the Lord's teaching. Then he presented himself as the follower of Lord Mahavir, praised her for her total devotion and conveyed her the Lord's blessing. Sulasä was very much pleased to learn that the Lord had personally conveyed His blessing for her. She then received Ambad with enthusiasm. This incident helped Ambad in firmly laying his faith in Lord Mahavir.