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holy persons, he sent two Mewrās to Ahmedābād, with a farman ordering Sähebkhan, the governor of Gujarat, to ask the priest to proceed towards his Court. Sähebkhan informed the leading Jainas of Ahmedabad of this Imperial invitation. A deputation of Jainas waited upon the Acarya at Gandhar. He readily accepted the invitation thinking that much good might come out of his visit to the emperor. In a short time he reached Ahmedābād where he was received by Sahebkhan who offered him money, conveyances, horses and other means of comfort. He politely thanked him for his offer, but at the same time refused to accept them on the ground that Jaina monks were prohibited from accepting any means of physical comfort, by their religious tenets. From Ahmedabad, he started on foot towards Agra, visiting village after village, and town after town on his way, preaching the gospel of Lord Mahāvīra to people. On his reaching Agra, he was accorded a royal reception.
It was Abul Fazl who escorted the Acarya to his place. A discussion took place between the two, specially on the questions of resurrection and redemption. Hīra-Vijaya Sūri made it crystal clear to Abul Fazl that a man's happiness or misery in his present life was the result of his meritorious or wicked actions during his previous life or lives. This struck fundamentally against the idea of all human beings rising from their graves on the Day of Judgment to hear the Divine Decree from the Almighty, who would administer to them even-handed justice according to the way they led their lives. The idea of a personal God thus was a needless superfluity. Abul Fazl was mightily impressed with his lucid way of explaining things, and at once took him to the Emperor, who, hearing that the holy man had come all the way on foot in accordance with the rules of his Order, greeted him with much pleasure and respect. In the talk that ensued, the Acarya explained to the emperor what he had already explained to Abul Fazl, about the nature of Supreme diety and that of a true preceptor-master and true religion. He also laid great stress upon the imperativeness of leading a pure and holy life devoted unflinchingly to the good of all beings around a man. Then he dwelt upon the five holy vows observed by all Jaina monks viz. non violence, truth, nonacceptance of anything without its being offered, celibacy and nonpossession. Then Akbar requested him to read his future from the position of the stars, but the sage replied that he could not comply with that request because Jaina monks were forbidden by a religious tenet, to read any one's future or to make prediction.
The impression that the Acarya made on the emperor was profound,
तुलसी प्रज्ञा अप्रेल - जून, 2005
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