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Causes of Misery
One day when Mahavira was on a visit to Miyaggama, a blind beggar led by his friend with a staff went to listen to his discourse. Indrabhuti Gautama, the seniormost pupil of Mahavira, noticed his presence there and asked his Master if there lived a person more miserable than the blind man. Mahavira replied in the affirmative and directed Indrabhuti to the son of Miyadevi in Miyaggama.
When Indrabhuti reached the house of Miyadevi and expressed his desire to see her son, she presented her four sons to him. Indrabhuti, however, wanted to see her son Miyaputta whom she had been nursing in privacy, as the child was nothing but a lump of flesh with cavities at the places of sense-organs. She was surprised to know from Indrabhuti that Mahavira by his divine power was able to know her secret. She then led Indrabhuti to the place where Miyaputta was kept. She served food to the child, which it immediately devoured and digested, Indrabhuti then saw the child as if it had been in the hell. He then returned to his master and asked him who the boy was
in his previous birth and as a result of what deeds he suffered the miseries of present life. Mahavira then gave the account of Miyaputta's previous life.
There lived in a small district town Vijayavadhamana, a district officer, Ikkai by name of King Dhanavati of Sayaduvara. This Ikkai had five hundred villages under his charge. He was impious and oppressed people under his charge in various ways, such as heavy taxes, threats of setting their houses on fire, robbing their houses and by such other dubious means. He could never be trusted by the people as he was always unreliable. Once he suffered from all the sixteen kinds of diseases, and sent on all available doctors for treatment. The doctors treated him with all kinds of medicines, but without any effect. After suffering miseries for a long time, he died and was born in hell. In the subsequent life, he was born as the son of Miyadevi, became deformed deaf and dumb, almost like a lump of flesh. This was the result of his misdeeds in his past life.
Nivagsutta.
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ESSAY COMPETITION WAYS AND MEANS OF UPLIFT OF THE
MIDDLE STRATA OF SOCIETY The Managing Committee of JAINYUG, the official monthly organ of Shri Jain Swetamber Conference invites essays in English, Gujarati and Hindi on Ways and Means of the Uplift of the Middle Strata of Society. The essays should be either legibly written or typewritten on fulscap size paper on one side and should not exceed four thousand words. There will be three prizes of Rs. 150, Rs. 100 and Rs. 50.
The last date of receiving the essays is 15th May, 1959 Shri Jain Swetamber Conference,
J. R. Shah Godiji Building, 2nd floor,
S. L. Kothari 20, Pydhonie, Bombay 2.
Editors, JAINYUG
