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Mokshmala - Lesson-22 Kamdev Shrawaka
with that palm pulled out hair from his own head and turned a monk, and left his kingdom and moved out as an ascetic. He desired to go and meet
Bhagawan Aadishwar who was staying with his ninetyeight religious initiated sons and other noble devotees male and female but feelings of pride arose in his mind that if he went there he might have to bow down to his ninetyeight younger brothers and so it was not proper for him to go there. Moved by such thought of pride he stayed in the forest with singleminded devotion and concentration.
Gradually twelve months elapsed and due to extreme penance, his body was reduced to a mere skeleton of bones and he looked like a dried tree but till the seed of pride was present in his mind, he could not obtain perfect liberation. Then Brahmi and Sundari both sisters in form of nuns came to him and preached him as under :- "Arya Valourous Brother ! You now get down from an intoxicated elephant. By riding it, you have suffered much." Hearing this from his sisters Bahubala started thinking about the preaching of the sisters and as a result he came to realise that the intoxicated elephant was none else but his sense of pride which he still had kept preserved in his mind and soon he abandoned feelings of pride and as he started to bowing down to his father and ninetyeight younger brothers, he obtained absolute incomparable and divine state of self-liberation.
Reader ! See how feelings of pride are undesirable and harmful!!
LESSON-22, KAMADEV SHRAWAKA
In the time of Bhagawan Mahavir there lived a Shrawaka-hearer and follower of true Jain Religion - named Kamadev who with a pure heart, observed twelve vows or Vratas, and endowed with discriminative intelligence was always devoted to the teachings of Nirgrantha Bhagawan Mahavir. Once in the Divine Assembly, Indra the highest Deity praised Kamadev's firm faith in Jain Religion. At that time, a deity of shallow understanding hearing in the Assembly this praise of Kamadev, spoke out :
"I have followed it. All can call themselves patient and quiet till they do not suffer from torments and miseries (Parishaha) and they can also boast of being steadfastly devotional to their adopted religion. I can prove this fact by turning Kamadev's mind away from his devotion to Jain Religion." Kamadev who was at that time quite stabilised in strongly observing his soul different from his body as a practice to leave his body peacefully at the time of death and free his soul (in Jainism it is called Kayotsarga).
This boastful deity assumed the guise of an elephant and pressed Kamadev unbearably but kamdev remained unmoved and steady; then this diety adopted the body like a wooden pestle and in the guise of a black serpent or cobra made a terrible hiss, but Kamadev remained unmoved and did not swerve even a little; then this Deity laughed cruelly and in a guise of a monster, beat Kamadev and tormented him very much; even then Kamadev did not shake or Swerve from his Kayotsarg; then this diety assumed the body of a lion and began to frighten Kamadev but the latter did not budge a little from his Kayotsarga. This way this boastful deity tried his best for the major part of the night to deviate Kamadev from his contemplation but totally failed in all his overtures. Then the deity by his Yogic insight saw that Kamadev was unshakable like immovable Meru Mountain. Then knowing unshakable stability and faith of Kamadev in his Kayotsarga religious practice, he bowed down to Kamadev in veneration and praise and asking pardon for what he had done, he returned home.
What lesson we learn from the stability of Kamadev in his Kayotsarga, can be easily
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