________________
THE SITE OF KAUSAMBI. THE city of Kausambi was a celebrated one in the ancient
1 days. In the time of Lord Mahavira, 6th century B.C, it was a very flourishing one, being the capital of Vatsa-desa which was then ruled by Satanika. Lord Mahavira's mother Priyakarini Devi and Satanika's wife Mrigavati were sisters, both of them being the daughters of Chetaka, the King of Vaisali and the President of the Vrijjian Republic. Kausambi had the rare fortune of receiving the Great Teacher, the Blessed Lord Mahavira, several times during His Missionary travels. A miraculous incident connected with one such visit is described in the Jain Scriptures. It ruris thus :-"Chandana, the youngest daughter of King Chetaka was taking a walk in the royal garden, when a Vidyadara seeing her exceptional beauty, carried her in his vi mana, On his way home he thought of his wife and fearing her reprimands, left Chandana in a forest and went away. A hunter living in the forest took the princess to Kausambi and sold her to a merchant-prince named Vrishabhasena, who having no child brought up Chandana very affetionately as his own daughter. But the wife of Vrishabhasena grew envious of the girl, wrongly suspected love-relation between her husband and the stranger and determined to drive Chandana away by ill-treating her. She took away all fine clothes and ornaments from the princess, refused giving her oil and flowers, supplied her an earthern bowl from which the girl should drink the liquid meal prepared out of the cheapest grains and confined her with fetters on her legs in a dirty room in the last apartmen of the big mansion. Chandana thought that all this was due to her past evil karmas. She was meditating on God (Pure Soul) and awaiting the hour of her release. Days passed on in this wise and the same ill-treatment was accorded to her. One day the Blessed Lord Mahavira was going along the broad and long streets of Kausambi to break His long fasting. Chandana knew of this, and was longing to have a look at the Holy Person of the Lord and serve Him with food if possible. Apparently this seemed Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat
www.umaragyanbhandar.com
