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ऋषभ
अजित
सम्भव
अभिनन्दन
सुमति
पदाप्रभ
सिंह
भगवती मल्ली के संकेतानुसार दासियों ने कक्ष के द्वार खोले। छहों राजा एक-दूसरे को देखकर चकित थे। तब भगवती मल्ली ने उन्हें उद्बोधन दिया। पूर्व-जन्म का वृत्तांत सुनाया! तो उन्हें भी पूर्व-जन्म का जाति-स्मृति ज्ञान हो गया। ज्ञान होने पर छहों राजाओं ने भगवती मल्ली से क्षमा माँगी-“अब हमारे सिर पर से मोह का भूत उतर गया। हमें प्रतिबोध दो। हम भी आपके साथ संसार त्यागकर अपनी आत्मा का कल्याण करेंगे।"
छहों राजाओं ने राजा कुंभ से क्षमा माँगी। फिर अपने-अपने पुत्रों को राज्य-भार सौंपकर दीक्षा लेने की तैयारी की। भगवती मल्ली के साथ अनेक स्त्रियों, पुरुषों और राजकुमारों ने भी दीक्षा ली। दीक्षा लेते ही मल्ली भगवती को विपुलमति मनःपर्यवज्ञान उत्पन्न हुआ और उसी दिन सायंकाल केवलज्ञान, केवलदर्शन प्राप्त कर तीर्थंकर बने। भगवान ने अपनी प्रथम धर्म देशना में “समता धर्म' पर प्रवचन दिया। प्रथम समवसरण में ही छहों राजाओं ने दीक्षा ग्रहण की। अन्त में सम्मेदशिखर पर चैत्र शुक्ला चतुर्थी के दिन भगवान मल्लीनाथ ने निर्वाण प्राप्त किया।
गज
19. BHAGAVAN MALLINATH
वृषभ
लक्ष्मी
पुष्पमाला
In the Aparvideh area there was a city named Vitshoka. It was ruled by a powerful king Mahabal. He was very intimate with six other kings who were his childhood friends. Influenced by discourses of ascetics, king Mahabal decided to follow the spiritual path. He sought opinion of his six childhood friends with the remark--I want to become an ascetic, do you also ?
All the six friends replied, “We have been together during both good and bad times. When we have enjoyed the mundane life in company, it would be shameful if we part company on the spiritual path. We shall become ascetics together and we shall do all spiritual practices together."
The seven kings took Diksha from Varadharma Muni and started the spiritual practices earnestly. Mahabal was bitten by the bug of ego. He thought, "I ha: e always been ahead of my friends. Now, if I do the same practices I will remain at the same level. As such I should do a little more and be ahead is before." With this feeling Mahabal started secretly doing more practices than the others. All the seven friends would formally take vow of some specific penance together but when on conclusion, other friends broke their fast, Mahabal would continue his fast on some pretext. The desire to be above the ordinary inspired this competition. As a result of this deception Mahabal fell from the lofty spiritual level he had attained due to his intense practices and acquired the Karma that would result in being born as a woman (Stri-ved). However, as he still maintained the purity and intensity in his practices he later also earned the
चन्द्र
सये
Illustrated Tirthankar Charitra
( ७४ )
सचित्र तीर्थकर चरित्र
विमल
अनन्त
धर्म
शान्ति
अर
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