Jain Story Book

Author(s): Manu Doshi
Publisher: Manu Doshi

Page 84

helpless condition and decided to mend the situation before it got too late. Knowing from the attendants where they had left her, he immediately sprang over his horse and rode towards the river with all possible speed. By the time he however arrived at the river, Kalävati had already left. He virtually broke down to see that the vultures were grazing upon her umbilical cord and he came back thinking that she had been a prey to some wild animal.
His heart was broken with the realization that he had foolhardily lost her beloved forever. He remembered the happy days that he had passed with her. He felt immensely sad that those days were never to come back. Slowly and steadily he developed detachment for the worldly life and yearned for renouncing the same. But he was worrying that he had no heir to his throne.
Years passed that way. Once he decided to take a ride for diverting his mind. As he came to the river where he had lost his beloved, he stopped there for a couple of minutes. That very time his son, who had now grown up to be a smart youth, happened to come there. Shankh was pleased to see him and enquired who he was and who were his parents. The boy replied about his mother but said that he did not know anything about his father. This made the king curious to know about his mother. The boy said that she was meditating a little away.
The king went there and saw that she was his Kalävati. He was amazed to see that she was endowed with the hands too. He was pleased to think that he would get the happy days once again. While talking with her, however, he realized that it was too late for thinking about the worldly life, since she had set off for the renouncement. Shankh thought that he should also go the same way, because he had now gained his son. So after crowning his son, he too renounced and became a monk. Then observing the renounced life till the end, they were reborn as heavenly beings.
The name of Kalävati occurs in the "Bharahesar Sajjhaya" which is daily recited by the Jains during the morning Pratikraman.
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Sumitra
Once upon a time there was a king named Täräpid. He was a brave, just and popular ruler. By the dint of his valor he had established his sovereignty over the adjacent states. His capital city was known as Chandrä which was a well laid out, clean and nice city. He had a capable and intelligent minister named Sumitra. True to his name he was a friend to the king as well as to the people of Chandrä. With his diplomacy the king could exercise effective control over the territories conquered by him. The neighboring rulers were not happy with the overlordship of Chandrä but felt helpless to do anything as long as Sumitra was the minister.
Sumitra was a devoted Jain and to the extent possible, he used to perform different rituals laid down for Jain house holders. He also sincerely practiced austerities and other religious restraints. The king did not have faith in such practices and could not appreciate the religious activities of his minister. He thought that religion arose from the superstitious beliefs of the weak minded people and did not have much significance. He repeatedly asked Sumitra to show the purpose of the religion in daily life. Sumitra tried to explain the usefulness of the religion for the well being of the soul. The king however remained unconvinced about the existence of such abstract element and used to ridicule Sumitra for holding such notions. Sumitra was therefore waiting for an opportunity for displaying the efficacy of the religion so that he could convince the king about the necessity of resorting to religious life.