Stories From Jainism

Author(s): Kumarpal Desai
Publisher: Kumarpal Desai

Page 12

Elachikumar balanced himself with a long bamboo pole whilst walking. He walked the entire length of the rope without any difficulty. Everyone applauded loudly once he had finished.
Elachikumar came down and bowed to the king, hoping that the king would give him a prize. But instead the king said I have not yet seen your act properly, do it again.
Elachikumar was tired but he had no choice, so he went up again and started his act. The girl played the dholak again.
Actually the king was thinking to himself that if this man fell on the ground and died, then he could take this girl and have her as his queen. The king was also blinded by the beauty of this girl. He asked Elachikumar to go on to the rope again and again. The king hoped that Elachikumar would fall and die.
Elachikumar went up the poles, for the fifth time. By now he had guessed what the king was trying to do. He hated king and also hated himself. It was his love for the girl that made him leave his parents; it was this love made him, a young businessman, an acrobat. Where was he going? What was he doing? And the king? He too is bad, he wants me to die in order to have this girl.
Elachikumar was thinking this whilst trying to balance himself on the rope. He was now very unstable and very tired.
Meanwhile his eyes fell on a house nearby. In that house, there stood a young monk who had come for his food. A young and very beautiful woman of the household was offering him food. The monk only accepted what was necessary for survival. He would not even take specially prepared sweet dishes.
Elachikumar saw that the monk did not even raise his eyes to see the woman who was giving him the food. The monk was obviously not attracted or disturbed by this young and pretty lady. Elachikumar could not help comparing his deed with the monk's.
"Indeed, I have fallen !" he thought, "How low can one sink? This monk has denied himself all the comforts and luxuries of life. He would not think of marrying or even looking at this young woman."
Elachikumar attained true knowledge. And he did come down. He came down to the earth of reality.
He later chose to balance a monk and spread the ideals of Jainism.
d: jain story