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Sugandha: Sweet Fragrance
623
she comforted them and assured them that she would survive. Everybody's courage was restored and little by little, thanks to her own powers of endurance and to a new treatment, she was healed. Hardly was she fully recovered than her guruni fell ill and an urgent operation for cancer was necessary. The group, which was at that time in a village, procecdcd slowly to the city of Ajamera. Arrived there, the sādhvis know no-one, nor did they know to whom they should address themselves, as this detour had not been foreseen. At the time of gocari a śrăvaka took the trouble to ask: where did they come from? Where were they staying? When Mahāsati explained the situatin, the śrāvaka showed them the upāśraya and informed his son, who had a friend who was a doctor. The guruņi was obliged to stay several months in the hospital. During these months, Mahāsaii's life was very difficult; the hospital was a long way away and often it was she who went three times a day on gocari to get milk and other nourishment to take to the invalid.
Mahasati is especially characterised by her shining, invincible confidence in the dharma, a confidence which upholds her and gives her an unusual strength of character. She is convinced that the spiritual comes first and, whatever the circumstances, she remains centred on the essential. She bclicves in the unifying power of dhyāna and it is from this state of constant concentratedness that she draws her strength.
Mahāsati is attentive to both individuals and situations and, wherever she passes, she brings good. Her presence is beneficient not only to hearts and minds but also to bodies. Her disciple, Mahāsati Sri Premakumvara, who writes the biography, reports that in several places Mahāsati has performed healings. It is very possible that the absolute faith of the sick person in the spiritual power of this sramani vanquishes the sickness. Mahāsati sceks no popularity, she simply allows one and another to come to her and, with her immense compassion, comforts and soothes.
And what are we to say of the effect of her pravacanas in certain isolated villages of Rājasthāna, where enmities between fellow-Jainas have split the community and where often for years no muni or sādhvi has passed through to bring about a renewal? Mahāsati Yaśakumvara arrives, gives clear and definite teaching, listens, counsels, reconciles.
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