Jain Story Book

Author(s): Manu Doshi
Publisher: Manu Doshi

Page 53

stood there intact. He could also make out from the astrologers that the Stoop could be uprooted only under the blessing of an accomplished sage like Kulwaluk whose name was now reputed as a great ascetic with miraculous capabilities.
On learning these details, Ajätshatru announced a great prize for any one who would undertake the task of excavating the Stoop. However, no one would come forward for the work. Ultimately, a city girl named Mägadhikä accepted the challenge. She adopted the garb of a religious Jain lady and moved from place to place in search of Kulwaluk. She happened to come across a sage who knew the whereabouts of Kulwaluk and pleased him by serving him well. When she got an opportunity, she said to the sage that she had heard about the great ascetic Kulwaluk Muni and yearned to have his Darshan. In all innocence, the sage told her about the lonely distant place where Kulwaluk was observing the acute penance but told her that it was very tough to go there.
Bravely overcoming the obstructions that she came across on her way, Mägadhikä one day arrived at the place where Kulwaluk was observing austerities. His body was reduced to a skeleton on account of his observing long fasts. As soon as she arrived, she fell at the feet of the Muni uttering the words of pleasure that she had gained by seeing the great Muni. Remembering the curse of his preceptor, Kulwaluk became scared by her arrival and asked her to leave the place at once. Mägadhikä, however, expressed her sense of deep devotion for the great ascetic and said that she had come only to receive the merit of offering him the food once and would return as soon as he would bless her by acceding to her request. So saying, she entreated him to terminate the fasts and accept her food. Heeding to her entreaties, he agreed to terminate the fast the next day on the undertaking that she would leave immediately after that.
Magadhikä thus got the opportunity that she was looking for. She mixed the food with strong purgative and offered it to Kulwaluk. The intake of the food caused him severe diarrhea. The girl feigned to be extremely pained to witness the evil consequences of the food that she had offered with a sense of pure devotion. Cursing her evil fate for causing so much distress to the saint, she lamented very much and begged the sage to permit her to serve him during the ordeal that he had to face by her unfortunate endeavor. Kulwaluk realized his sad condition and permitted her to stay there in order to nurse him during the disease. She was pleased to hear that and began to nurse him with all the possible care. She took utmost care to keep his body clean and did not even mind cleaning him of the excreta.
This continued for a few days. Kulwaluk realized what would have been his fate if Magadhikä had not nursed him so carefully. He was pleased with her devotion and felt grateful for the service without which he would not have survived. As he got a little better, Magadhikä requested him to go with her for getting proper treatment. Kulwaluk agreed and went to Magadh along with her. In due course he was totally cured, but by that time Magadhikä had cast enough charm over him and had succeeded in seducing him. He had never experienced that sort of pleasure and felt deeply enamored of her. With the passage of time his attachment for her grew and he felt that he had unnecessarily wasted his years in resorting to austerities. His lust for her was so intense that he could not stay without her even for a moment. Under the impact of that lust he was now willing to do whatever she asked him to do.
Mägadhikä now directed him towards the destruction of Vaishali. At her instance, he went to Vaishali where he found that the people had been sick of the long drawn war. Some of them turned to him to know when the war and miseries arising from that would be over. As a great ascetic, he pointed out that the principal cause of their miseries was the existence of that Stoop which happened to have been constructed under inauspicious circumstances. Thereupon, a few frustrated men came forward to do away with that cause of their evil. Kulwaluk had arranged with Ajätshatru to retreat a little on hearing his message. Accordingly the Magadhan forces retreated a little, when some of the people in Vaishali began to damage the Stoop. Thereby many people were convinced about the evil nature of the Stoop and decided to excavate it completely. Others, including the chief of Vaishali, strongly resisted the move. This disunity broke the morale of