________________
70
Study of Jainism
v) There is a pathetic but the enobling incident of the offering of food by Candana. Candand was the youngest daughter of king Cē taka. She was the sister of Mahavira's mother Trišala. Ouce young Candanabala was playing in the garden of her palace. She was young and beautiful. A Vidyadhara (heavenly deity) was fascinated by her beauty. He kidnapped her; but being afraid of his wife, he left her in the forest. In the forest she was caught by a hunter named Dhanadatta He sold her to a merchant called Vrşabhadatta. The merchant was kind-hearted. He treated her very kindly, not as a slave but as his daughter. But being young and beautiful and as ill-luck would have it, the merchant's wife became suspicious and she began to give her all kinds of trouble. She was chained in the dungeon and coarse food was given to her.
Once S ramana Mahavira was coming in the town for food. The entire town was eager to receive him. Candanabala heard of this news. She was sad. She wanted to offer food to Sramapa Mahavira. But she had only coarse food that was given to her. She yearned for the opportunity for giving food. Her pious and sincere desire to offer food to Mahavira broke off all the chains
reet and offered the same coarse food. Mahavira taccepted the food with all grace. The merchant and his wife came
o know that the princess was in their house, and not a slave. was to be sent to her place with all protocol and grace. But Candana was disgusted with the transience and sufferings world. She decided to take to the life of Pravraja'. Candana became the first to take renunciation. She was the Heads of the Āryika sangha 24
S ramana Mahavira spent 12 years of severe penance moving from place to place and observing silence. Svetambara tradition says that Mahavira, during the Varşavasa period used to give discourses. But in the Ācārängasūtra Tika by Silanka there is the mention of the practice of silence by Mahavira during the Sadhaka period Dhavala describes the period of his ascetic life as 12 years and 5 and half months.26 And he came to the village called Ismbhika near Rajagsha. He sat under the tree Sila tree on the banks of the river Rjukūla, It was the tenth day of the brighter half of Vaisaka (Vaisaka sukla daśami). All the ghati karmas were
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
