Jainism For Beginners Level 02

Author(s): Sayampurnashreeji
Publisher: Sayampurnashreeji

Page 93

Jambu talking to his wives. Somehow, his power did not affect Jambu & his wives. He came closer to the door in an effort to listen closely. To his utter astonishment, Jambu was talking about renunciation & the misery associated with worldly life. His words were so powerful that Prabhav became interested & continued listening.
He pondered over the irony of how hard he worked to steal wealth, while the owner was planning to renounce everything. Jambu continued to preach to his wives & Prabhav listened to the conversation quietly. His men finished stealing from the rest of the palace & urged Prabhav to finish the job of stealing the jewellery located in Jambu's bedroom so they could leave before the guards discovered them.
By now, Prabhav had lost his desire for wealth, had developed a disdain for the life of a burglar & was ready to change. He told his followers that he had decided to give up burglary. They were free to go on their own. However, they said that they would not go anywhere without him. If he gave up robbing & stealing, they would also give it up.
When Jambu finished the religious discussion with his wives, all his wives were ready to renounce the world. At this time, Prabhav came inside & said that he had come there to steal but had decided to renounce everything after listening to
Jambu's talk with his wives. He & his five hundred followers made up their mind to become Jambu's disciples.
In the morning, the citizens of Rajgrihi awoke to some surprising news. Jambu, his eight wives, the famous thief Prabhav, & his five hundred followers were ready to renounce their worldly lives that day. Jambu's parent; were saddened & disappointed that their wish did not materialize. They quickly realized the importance of Jambu's message & decided to join him also. Hearing the news & understanding the message, the parents of the eight brides also renounced the world. A spectacular procession followed Jambu on his way to see Sudharma-Swami. Jambu bowed to Sudharma-Swami & became his disciple & in turn, Prabhav & his colleagues became Jambu's disciples.
Jambu-Swami, as he became known henceforth, studied the entire teachings of Lord Mahavir. Most of the original Jain scriptures (Twelve Anga Agams) are composed in the form of dialogues between Sudharma-Swami & JambuSwami. Jambu-Swami became the head of the religious order when Sudharma-Swami attained omniscience. He remained the head of the Jain order for forty-four years and then he attained omniscience (Kevaljnan). He was the last omniscient (Kevali) of the current time cycle. He attained Nirvana at the age of eighty.
GANDHARS ACHARYAS
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