Stories From Jainism

Author(s): Mrugendramuni
Publisher: Jain Yoga Foundation

Page 18

So Sagardutt got a temple built at great cost and he was lucky to fulfil himself through this endeavour.
One day Sagardutt attended a religious function carried out at the Shiva-temple. Ghee was stored in a place from which ants and insects were swarming. They were being stepped upon and therefore crushed. Sagardutt was indignant at this and told the priests to be more careful. Thereupon, the priests scolded him for being a convert into Jainism. These words touched him to the quick and he died of heart-failure. He was then born as the said sacrificialhorse. The dead merchant was no other than "I" now born and known as Lord Munisuvrat Swami."
Then the Lord told the king about the importance of mercy and compassion. Offering of animals in sacrifice is irreligious. So the king set free the horse and stopped the horse-sacrifice. He also prohibited animal sacrifice forever. The horse then observed fast and died. He was born as a heavenly being in the eighth heaven. This heavenly being then dwelt on the importance of religious life by building a temple to Munisuvrat Swami. A sculpture of a horse was set up in front of the temple, in remembrance of his past life. This place was afterwards known as Ashwabodh Tirth.
After many years, a pregnant kite built a nest on a bunyan tree on the banks of the Narmada river. She delivered a young birdie. While the mother-kite was out in search of food, she was shot down by a hunter. When she was breathing her last, she heard Navakara Mahamantra uttered
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