________________
54
KUVALAYAMĀLA
was reaching the Samavasaraņa. The occasion for his developing samvega was like this. He had gone into the Kosamba forest for hunting. Afraid of his arrows, all the deer ran away; but one young female deer came to him quite affectionately. He was much moved by the situation, broke his bow and sword, and felt great remorse on account of his cruel activities. He was thrilled at the touch of that loving deer; and he realized that there must be some connection of the earlier birth. He came by this time to the Samavasarana; and to explain
his earlier relation with that deer Mahāvīra narrated thus (Pages 217.85 224.15; *73.41- *74.36).
EARLIER LIVES OF MANIRATHA AND THE DEER, AND FORMER'S DĪKSĀ: In one of his earlier lives, Mahāvīra was prince Ananga, the son of king Madana of Sāketa. There was a merchant Vaiśramana. His son was Priyamkara, a fine youth, who married Sundarī, a girl from a neighbouring family. Priyamkara and Sundarī were so much attached to each other that they would not tolerate separation even for a monient. In due course, as ill luck would have it, Priyamkara fell ill and died. Sundarī would not believe that he was dead, but started caressing his dead body without allowing it to be burnt. She was mad on account of her affection, continued fondling the corpse, and would not attend to what others said. She addressed the corpse that people round about had gone mad; and, to avoid them, she took the rotten corpse (described 225.23-27) and reached the cemetery. She started nursing it. Her father requested the king to do something in the matter, and prince Ananga took the responsibility of outwitting her. He also went there with the corpse of a woman, claiming her to be his wife whom people called dead much against his will: in fine, he presented a replica of Sundarī's rôle. He imitated her in his behaviour towards his dead beloved. In course of time, they became friendly, and entrusted to each other their dead partners, whenever they had to leave them and go out. Once Ananga complained to Sundarī that he heard her beloved making overtures to his wife Māyādevī. Ananga shrewdly developed a situation, threw both the dead bodies in a well, and began to lament over his sad lot that his wife was kidnapped by Sundarī's beloved. Innocent as she was, she felt sorry for the behaviour of her husband. When she wanted to know from him what to do, he expounded to her on the vanity of attachment and inevitability of death: So one should reflect (through twelve-fold anuprekşā) on the nature of samsāra etc. and devote oneself to the practice of Dharma (§ 352). Sundarī was enlightened. That soul of Sundarī was reborn as Mānabhața > Padmasāra > Kuvalayacandra > Vaiļūryaprabha > Maņirathakumāra; and the soul of that merchant-youth (i. e. Priyamkara) was ultimately born as a female deer which showed so much affection to Manirathakumāra. Hearing all this Manirathakumāra accepted renunciation. Mahāvīra explained ($ 354) to Gautama how a samyag-drşți who is avirata is subjected to misery but one who is virata enjoys happiness (Pages 224.16-232.5; *74.36- *76.20).
MAHĀVĪRA IN SRĀVASTI AND KAMAGAJENDRA'S DREAM: Once, Mahāvīra reached Srāvastī, in his samavasarana, and in reply to a question of Gautama,
or enlightenment of one and all, Mahāvīra expounded how different kinds of Karmas take a soul through different gatis, equip it with
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
