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radiated from his face. This detachment of the monk raised a succession of thoughts in the mind of llachikumar.
monk could remain unaffected because he remained tuned to his soul and stayed vigilant about the pitfalls: "As an acrobat I have to remain constantly vigilant because the slightest unawareness on my part can result in a fall from the high rope and possibly in my death. Why then should I not use the same vigilance for the sake of upliftment?"
Why do I not feel detachment in the presence of a beautiful young girl?" He also wondered why the king had asked him to repeat his performances. He suspected that the king must be attracted to that girl and must be waiting for him to fall from the rope. "If I fall from the rope, I would be badly hurt would not be able to perform acrobatic feats. In that case I will never be able to marry the girl for whom I have abandoned my home and my parents." He realized that the happiness he was looking for was an illusion. He began to recall his early religious training when he had been exposed to religious principles. He had learned about the soul within the body and its immense capabilities. He realized that his achievements as an acrobat must have been due to that inner capability. The
He had treaded a long path of spiritual pursuit in an earlier life. The impact of that achievement was lying subdued within him, waiting for an opportunity to manifest itself. The sight of the monk provided the needed catalyst. He became fully awakened to the realization that he was a soul and that all the other situations were simply an illusion. While
on the rope, he dwelt deep into his Self and attained omniscience or Keval-jnan. Then he quietly climbed down the pole and bid farewell to every one as he left the place.
STORIES PRECEDING BHAGWAN MAHAVIR
The focus of this story is on the principle of detachment. Attachment to materialistic things, people or feelings often causes misery to others and to us. We should strive to minimize our attachment to the outer world (ie detach ourselves) and focus on our inner self. Attachment is an obstacle in the path of self-realization. The monks detachment towards the beautiful woman guided llachibumar onto the right path.
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