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83. मेघमुनि का स्वाभिमान जाति स्मरण ज्ञान
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सन्यास की दीक्षा ग्रहण करने के पश्चात मेघमुनि (पूर्वाश्रम में युवराज मेघकुमार) आश्रम जीवन के कष्टों को सहे न सके । साथी वाले सन्यासियों का उन्हें अपने से बढ़कर बड़ान मान कर बराबरी के स्तर पर देखना, निद्रां और भोजन के समय सब का एक ही पंक्ति में खाना और सोना देख कर उनके अंह के घायल होने से वे खिन्न हुए। वे अपने मन की बेचैनी का निवेदन करने के लिये स्वामि के यहाँ पहुँचकर उनके अनुग्रह की प्रतीक्षा कर रहे थे। स्वामी ने ध्यान - मुद्रा छोड़कर मेघमनि को देखा और बीती बात को समझ लिया। यह सोचकर कि सन्यासी जीवन की विशिष्टता समझा दी जाय स्वामी ने उन्हें ध्यानस्थिति में लेजाकर उनके पिछले जन्म का वृत्तान्त दृश्यों के साथ दिखाया। मेघमुनि पिछले (गत) जन्म में विन्ध्यारण्य के प्रदेश में मेरुप्रभ नामक हाथी के रूप में घूमते थे। एक अवसर पर उस सारे प्रदेश में दाबानल लगाने से बहुत से जानवरों की आहुति हुई अर्थात् उस दावा में जल मरे । मेरुप्रभ परिस्थिति को सँवारने (ठीक करने) के लिये एक तालाब के पास जा पहुँचे और सूँड से पानी छिड़कने लगे। यह देखकर बचे हुए जानवर मेरुप्रभ के चारों ओर जुट गये उस हड़बड़ी में खरगोश का एक बच्चा
83 THE SELF-ESTEEM OF MEGHAMUNI JATISMARANA JNANA
Jain Educationa International
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Having entered the order of monks Meghamuni, who in his earliest part of life was Meghakumara a Prince, was hard put to bear the rigours of the life of a monk (of Ashramajeevana) with patience. He was puzzled by the equal treatment meted out to him by his fellow monks for he thought that he should have been elevated above them. He could not digest the fact that all of them sat in a single line while taking their meals and slept in a common dormitory meant for monks so his self-esteem suffered and his mind was filled with sorrow. Thus having got perplexed, Meghamuni wanted to explain the state of his mind to the Swamy and, having approached the Swamy, stood near him for his permission to speak. The Swamy was in Dhyana (meditation) at that time. Presently, the Swamy came out of meditation and a mere look at Meghmuni was enough for him to know what the matter was. The Swamy then wanted to make Meghamuni realise the superiority of the life of a monk to a secular one. Then he, by the force of his Will (Sankalpa) took Meghamuni into a state of Meditation, wherein all the details of the past life of Meghamuni were shown to him. And this was the picture: In his past life, Meghamuni was an elephant by name "Meruprabha" roaming the jungles near the Vindhya Mountain. On one occasion a forest fire raged and consumed most of the flora and fauna. Meruprabha wanted to do his bit to control the situation and having gone to the banks of a lake, sucked water with his great trunk and with this water he began to put out the fire around itself by squirting it upon the raging fires. As the spot around the great elephant became safe many. animals gathered around Meruprabha and soon a tumult developed. In this tumult a young rabbit accidentally came under a foot of the great pachyderm (Meruprabha). Now Meruprabha was filled
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