Book Title: Sumati Jnana
Author(s): Shivkant Dwivedi, Navneet Jain
Publisher: Shantisagar Chhani Granthamala

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Page 291
________________ 268 Sumati-Jñāna to him? >> (V, 27) Knowing the confusion of the king, his purõhita, named Buddhisāgara, went to the Brahman and told him to take grass and fire from any house that had never experienced death, and then he would bring his son back to life. As if he did not understand the hidden meaning of these words, the << Brahman >> went away a little distance, looked for what the puröhita had asked for, but could not find a house that had never seen death. So the purõhita comforted him, saying, << Day and night, full moon and darkness, always alternate, and so does life and death. Confused man! What is born, must die. >> (V, 29) Then Bhagiratha came to the palace, scattered his body in front of the father (Sagara), and said, << Your Majesty, your beautiful princes, your sons, tried to undertake the work you asked them to do. But before they could finish it, they all died. >> (V, 38) When the people in royal assembly heard this, it was as if they had been struck by lightning coming from a sky without clouds, they were dumbfounded, and in the private apartments of the women, lamentations began. (V, 39) They cried a stream of tears, the 60,000 wives of Sagara, in intense sorrow at the loss of their sons, and fell at the feet of Sagara, completely losing all self-control. (V, 40) << You have the fourteen imperial jewels! All the gods obey your orders! Banish Yama, and bring our sons back to life! (V, 41) All your daughters-in-law have rushed to the Jina temples, and are ready to enter fire! How can you not have compassion when you see the faces of your daughters-in-law? >> (V, 44) Though Sagara was overcome with grief, he stood motionless like the golden mountain. Who can fathom the mind of Sagara, or the deepness of the ocean? (V, 46) When a fierce wind blows, the trees are broken and fall, but does the mountain become agitated? (V, 47) << Yama has taken all my children away! And this Brahman came to ask me to revive his dead son! Who can make the dead live again? Are these poor royal women relatives of that poor Brahman? >> And looking at their sad faces, he became like a stone. (V, 48) << When all his wives and retinue are in front of him, does this king have a heart of stone? He is without compassion! >> (V, 49) But as he heard this reproach from the people, it fell on this ocean of wisdom, Sagara, like white mustard seeds poured on a hot iron frying pan: the mustard seeds, as they open like flowers, scatter here and there! << Now my kingship is coming to an end. I was full of delusion. Let Success happen! I will go out to undertake austerities! >>, that Sagara, who had become full of truth, said, and abandoned his throne, his great drum, his white parasol, and all, and left the assembly. (V, 50) Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

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