Book Title: Trishasti Shalaka Purusa Caritra Part 6
Author(s): Hemchandracharya, Helen M Johnson
Publisher: Oriental Research Institute Vadodra

View full book text
Previous | Next

Page 153
________________ MAHAVIRA'S WANDERING AS AN ASCETIC 113 depressed? Has an order of yours been disobeyed by some one? Or have I committed a fault? She said: "No order has been disobeyed and there is no fault of yours. However, the fact that I did not break Sri Vira's fast is the occasion for grief to me. The Blessed Vira comes continually for alms and goes away without taking alms, because of some special vow. Learn the Lord's vow. If you do not know it, then your cleverness in observing other people's thoughts is in vain, great minister." Sugupta said: "I shall try to make the Lord of the World's vow known tomorrow, my dear." Just then a female door-keeper of Mrgavati, named Vijaya, came and, having heard their conversation, went and told the queen. Instantly Mrgavati grieved likewise and Śatānika, perplexed, asked her the reason for her grief. Mrgavati, her eyebrows raised a little, explained in a speech etched with the outpouring of trouble from inner dejection: "Princes know this world, movable and immovable, by means of spies, but you do not know your own city. What shall we say in this case? The Blessed Vira, the last Tirthakṛt, entitled to worship from the three worlds, lives here. Do you, careless of your kingdom's welfare, know this? After entering house after house, he goes away without taking alms because of some vow. Pray, do you know this? Shame on me, shame on you, shame on the ministers that the Supreme Lord has been here so long without taking alms, his vow unknown. " The king replied: "I, careless, have been very properly reproved, lady with a pure heart, in a place distinguished for dharma. After ascertaining his vow, tomorrow I shall cause the Master of the Universe to break his fast." The king summoned the minister and said to him: "In my city the Lord of the Three Worlds has remained for four months without taking alms. Shame on us for this. The Lord's vow must be known so that, after he has fulfilled the vow, I can cause the Lord of the World to break his fast for my own purification. The minister said: "The Lord's vow is not known. am exceedingly grieved for that. Let some stratagem bę I 15 M Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only "" www.jainelibrary.org

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360 361 362 363 364 365 366 367 368 369 370 371 372 373 374 375 376 377 378 379 380 381 382 383 384 385 386 387 388 389 390 391 392 393 394 395 396 397 398 399 400 401 402 403 404 405 406 407 408 409 410 411 412 413 414 415 416 417 418 419 420 421 422 423 424 425 426 427 428 429 430 431 432 433 434 435 436 437 438 439 440 441 442 443 444 445 446