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Praśamarati
of the 14 Pūrvas which comprise the entirety of Jain scriptures.
It so happened that one day Muni Sthūlabhadra was meditating alone, and his seven sisters came to pay their homage to the great Acārya Bhadrabāhu Svāmi. When they could not see Muni Sthūlabhadra there, they asked as to how they could locate him. Muni Śrī Bhadrabāhu Svāmī told them of the cellar in which Muni Sthūlabhadra was continuing his meditations. The sisters who had become Sadhvīs (i.e. Jain nuns) reached the place where Muni Sthūlabhadra was. Muni Sthūlabhadra, at that time, decided that he must show them how very much he had progressed in the knowledge that he had been seeking. Through this knowledge he knew the occult power known as Vaikriya Labdhi which allows one to transform oneself in any other bodily form. Because of this power, he took the form of a lion. The Sādhvīs were very much afraid and they ran away to Sri Bhadrabāhu Svāmi and told him : "Sir, there is no Muni and there is only a Lion." Śrī Bhadrabāhu Svāmi who knew what had happened, then told them to go again and that they will find their brother; and later on the Sadhvīs were able to see their beloved brother.
After some time Muni Sthūlabhadra went to Sri Bhadrabāhu Svāmī to continue his studies but the Ācārya was very much saddened and disturbed to see the misapplication of the knowledge that Muni Sthūlabhadra had learnt, and he did not continue the lessons.
Muni Sthūlabhadra pleaded much and so also the other Sädhus but the Ācārya did not change his mind and he said: “O, Disciples, day by day the times are changing in a very subtle way. The mental powers of men are getting less and less, and their patience and wisdom are also slowly diminishing. Under these circumstances, I do not consider it wise to propagate the knowledge of the remaining good words."
