Jainism For Beginners Level 02

Author(s): Sayampurnashreeji
Publisher: Sayampurnashreeji

Page 65

MEGHAKUMAR
loaded with grass was stuck in the mud. With every effort made to pull the cart out of the mud it was sinking deeper and deeper. Swami's heart filled with compassion when he saw the suffering of the bulls. He took hold of the cart, freed the bulls, and pulled the cart out of the mud.
ing Shrenik and Queen Dharini
V had a beautiful prince named Meghakumar. He grew up in great riches and a loving atmosphere. At the age of eight his parents sent him to school. He became a scholar of eighteen languages, a proficient exponent of music, dance and drama, a brave warrior, and a skilled commander.
Compassion is to respect all forms of life including animals, birds, insects and nature. Respect and regard for all forms of life is possible only if we truly believe that all life forms are equal.
Animals PRAYER
During that time Bhagwan Mahavir arrived in Rajagriha city and stayed in a nearby temple. When Meghankumar heard about Bhagwan Mahavir's arrival he decided to visit the temple and pay his respects. Meghakumar listened to Bhagawan Mahavirs sermon. Bhagwan Mahavir explained how karma binds to the soul, how the body suffers due to these Karma, and how the soul gets liberated. Upon hearing this discourse Meghakumar decided to renounce the world and to become a monk.
Let our cries be heard today, This, Oh, is what we pray, We, the creatures who suffer so, Want all mankind to know, And hope that they will understand We too are fashioned by Your hand. That our flesh feels pain the same as they The pain that they inflict each day On the laboratory dog, the pink-eyed rat, The lamb at slaughter and the alley cat, The circus lion, a once proud king. Forced by a whip, to perform in a ring. The bull that feels the banderilla's thrust, The elephant slain for his ivory tusk, The once-free inmates of the zoo, Oh, tell them, we belong to you! So we ask allow this plea To reach all men, and set up free. Let compassion and kindness be man's way, This. Oh, is what we pray.
-Macdonald White
LIVING VALUES COMPASSION & FRIENDSHIP
He requested his parents to permit him to become a monk. They tried to persuade him to wait until their death before taking Diksha. They pleaded with him and explained the harsh life a monk (Shraman) has to lead; walking barefoot and eating the food obtained only by collecting alms. They tried to tell him that he was born to enjoy the pleasures of life and not to suffer the pain. When Meghakumar's parents failed to dissuade 57