Jain Story Book

Author(s): Manu Doshi
Publisher: Manu Doshi

Page 52

The Lord then asked the king to observe with all seriousness the restraint of one Navkarshi in which the person is not supposed to eat or drink anything till 48 minutes after sunrise. The king agreed to do so the next day. In the morning however he went to his favorite garden and saw the ripe berries. He wished to eat the same but for the restraint that he had observed that day. Thereby he broke the seriousness of the restraint.
He then realized that his Karma was really indelible and nothing was going to succeed against
that. He therefore got reconciled to his fate.
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MUNI KULWALUK
During the time of Lord Mahavir, there was a young man who was physically and mentally strong enough to face adversities. Once, he happened to listen to a religious sermon of a learned Acharya and was much impressed. He thereupon decided to renounce the worldly life and became a monk. The Acharya named him as Muni Kulwaluk. As a monk, he rigorously observed all the restraints and also undertook severe austerities. His preceptor however was not pleased with such observance, because he failed to notice any insight in the pupil, who was obviously observing the austerities to show his capability, while harboring a sense of ridicule for those who could not do so. This clearly indicated that he was under the influence of the sense of arrogance.
The absence of appreciation on the part of the preceptor created a sense of animosity in the mind of the pupil. Moreover, he knew that people would not respect him as long as the preceptor was alive. He, therefore, wished to get rid of the Acharya. Once, while the Acharya was getting down a hill, the pupil rolled from the top a large stone towards him. The Acharya could luckily avoid getting hurt by the stone. But, the audacity of the pupil made him much enraged and he cursed the pupil that his life would be ruined by the lust for a woman. Kulwaluk did not want his renouncement to be so tainted. Since he could successfully observe all the restraints, he was sure that he could resist any temptation for the sensuous pleasure and the preceptor would turn out wrong. But in order to be on the safe side, he decided to stay in a lonely, desolate place almost inaccessible to others. In due course, however, people came to know of his severe penance and austerities and his name became well known as a great ascetic.
During those days, the kingdom of Magadh and the republic of Vaishali, lying close to each other, were most powerful states. Konik was the son of Shrenik, the king of Magadh. He was very impatient to become the king himself. With the help of his accomplices, he once managed to imprison his father and ascended the throne assuming the name of Ajätshatru. Chetak the father of Ajätshatru's mother was the chief of Vaishali. He had given shelter to Halla and Vihalla, the brothers of Ajätshatru. They had fled from Magadh because Ajätshatru had unjustifiably asked them to hand over Sechanak, the highly accomplished elephant that was gifted to them by Shrenik. They were also unhappy with Ajätshatru's act of usurpation. Ajätshatru was demanding from his grandfather the return of Halla and Vihalla. Since Chetak refused to comply, Ajätshatru invaded Vaishali with a large force. People of Vaishäli however fought bravely under the aegis of Chetak and withstood the terrible onslaught of the Magadhan forces. In spite of the well equipped force at his command, Ajätshatru could not take Vaishali for a long time.
Ajätshatru, therefore, asked his trusted counselors to figure out the secret of the strong defence of Vaishäli. In disguise, one of them secretly entered Vaishäli and made the necessary enquiries. He learned that an ancient religious Stoop in Vaishali was considered the tower of strength and unity among the people of Vaishali and it was not possible to defeat Vaishali as long as the Stoop