Monk and Monarch

Author(s): Vidyavijay
Publisher: Deepchand Banthia

Page 95

66
your heart every now and then. It is we who should apologise to you. It is not proper that you should apologise. We are ignorant. Therefore you deserve to forgive all our misdeeds.
"
Then the Suriji made an introspection. He began to remember all the good deeds he had done in his life. He prayed to all the gods. For some time he was silent.
It was the 11th day of the bright half of Bhadrapad, V. S. 1652. Suriji was in meditation. It was time for pratikramana. He opened his eyes, made them do the pratikramana, and then gravely uttered these words:
"Brothers, now I enter on my final work. Do not be cowards. Be brave in your religious duties. " He then began to utter phrases like "My soul is knowledge, is sat, chit and anand, is eternal. " He assumed the padmasan posture. He began to tell his beads. He finished four turns; and just as he started the fifth turn, the mala slipped down from his hands. A great and noble soul had gone on his last journey.
Suriji's death was mourned everywhere. The carrier prepared for him was very costly and was covered with the finest clothes and materials. It cost 2,000 Lyaharis. The body was besmeared with sandle-paste, kesar and other fragrant unguents. The biggest men of the place carried him to the cremation ground. His burning-pyre was of sandle-wood. It is said that in burning him they used 15 maunds of sandle-wood, 3 maunds of agar-wood, 3 seers of camphor and 3 seers of kesar. Thus were his last rites performed by his followers.
Twenty Vighas of land of the garden in which he was burnt were given free to the Jains by Akbar. Ladkibai of Div constructed a Stupa there and installed Suriji's foot-prints there.35
Fifteen days after his death Kalyanvijay Upadhyaya reached Una. He was much grieved to learn of Suriji's passing away. He went to the Stupa and paid his last respects to the Guru's remains.
On the other hand, Vijaysensuri learnt of Suriji's death at Patan. He was stunned and rendered almost senseless on