Stories From Jainism

Author(s): Mrugendramuni
Publisher: Jain Yoga Foundation

Page 36

And Somadeo was initiated on these conditions with a hope that these conditions would be abandoned gradually by him.
Somadeo accompanied Aryarakshit to the temple. But the former had held an umbrella over his head. On seeing Somadeo with an umbrella, the children in the streets shouted "We don't salute the Sadhu with the umbrella." Seeing this insulting behaviour, Somadeo gave up using the umbrella.
Meanwhile after a few days, an old Sadhu died and he was to be cremated by the other sadhus. Other sadhus expressed the desire to carry the corpse on their shoulders, as this act was considered a source of merit. So Somadeo then expressed his desire to cremate the dead body by carrying it on his shoulders, without placing it down any where in the forest.
As Somadeo was carrying the corpse, some street urchins pulled out his dhoti in the forest. Though he thus became naked, Somadeo duly carried out the task of the disposal of the corpse entrusted to him. Aryarakshit then gave him cholpatta instead of dhoti which was already snatched away. In this way, his shoes, the sacred thread etc. were also given up gradually. He now looked like a Jain Sadhu.
Somadeo still did not go out in search of alms and he used to eat food brought by fellow-monks. Now Aryarakshit wanted him to give up this silly attitude of not going for alms.
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