________________
}
CONVERSION
251
His minister Chitta was a staunch theist He was a follower of Lord Parshwa On his persuasion Pradeshi visited shramana Kumar Keshi His views underwent a change He accepted the ideology of monk Kumar Keshi1 Skandaka, Ammada and many other Vedic monks were initiated by Lord Mahavira a It cannot be said that Jains, Buddhists and Ajiwakas were not initiated into Vedic religion Such adoptions of a new idology were one's own concern It was not treated as a change of caste It did not affect their national consciousness either It never went beyond their intellectual content Hence every religion endorsed it
Shrenik, the king of Magadha was much-talked-about figure then His father was Prasenjita who was a follower of Lord Parshwa Shrenik subscribed to his ancestral religion Once Prasenjita exiled Shrenik in a fit of anger
He sought refuge in a Buddhistic abbey and adopted Buddhism After ascending the throne he continued to be a Buddhist His queer, Chellana was a follower of Lord Parshwa although her husband was Lord Buddha's follower However, both craved to follow a common religion Shrenik desired her to become a Buddhist while she naturally wanted him to become a Jain Notwithstanding their ideological differences, they enjoyed an excellent matrimonial life Lord Mahavira and Lord Buddha, both, embody non-violence, fellow-feeling, peace and tolerance Both preached mutual love The king and the queen never felt any aversion for each other
Once Shrenik went to Mandikuksha chaitya for an outing There he found a monk meditating, standing He was a young, handsome man Shrenik could not take his eyes off the charming monk The tranquil grace of the monk was a thing to gaze at He approached the monk and said,
'May I know, sire, who you be? Pray let me know where you hail from '
1 'Rayapasenaiyam', verse 789
2 Vide, II shatak of 'Bhagwati' and 'Auppatik' Sutra
