002. The Struggle Between Fate and Efforts

The Struggle Between Fate and Efforts
This is the story of the king Shri Kanth Vidyadhar and his queen Shrimati. One day both of them went to the temple. They worshipped there and heard the preachings of a Nirgrantha Muni. They came back to their palace after taking some Vrats (vows). Unluckily, the king did not follow the adopted vows due to some dushkarma (sin) of past life. He began to criticize the Jain saints and Anekantmaya Jinadharma. Once the king went to a forest in the company of too soldiers. He saw a digamber muni there. Considering him as a bad omen, he abused the sadhu with the evil words—`Kohri-Kohri'. He pushed him into the deep sea heartlessly; the 700 persons approved this bad thing. But, see, the self-seeker remained engrossed in the meditation of soul. Suddenly, the king had a sense of pity and ordered his servants to save the saint.

After some time, the King again went to the same forest. Seeing the Muni he said insulting words to him, even attempted to kill him with his sword but luckily his heart was softened and he returned to the palace without killing him. One day the king told his wife about the great calamity (upsarg) of Jain Muni. The queen was very religious and kind-hearted. When she heard this, she began to curse her karmas of fate and laid down on the bed in a sad mood. When the king came to know about this he said to the queen, ``why are you so sad or detached ?'' who has tortured you? What can i do to console you or to make you happy and smilling ? But the queen was silent. She answered nothing. At this the maid-servant conveyed the whole matter to the king that the queen is said due to the sufferings of great muni and the carelessness of the king in following the Vrats (vows).

Hearing this, the king realised his mistakes, rebuked himself and consoled the sad wife. Inspired by the queen, he went to the muni and burst into tears. He requested to forgive him. The Munishver, the very symbol of tolerance and forgiveness, advised the king to follow adopted Vratas firmly. It would be good for the king to do siddha-chakra-vidhan (a kind of puja). The king accepted all this with a devoted heart and performed the worship of siddha-chakra systematically till eight days. After his death the king was born as a deva in swarg (paradise). The queen, Shrimati was born as a devee (angel) due to her faith in religion.

After devaparyaya the king was born as the son of well-renowened king Aridaman and his wife Kundprabha in Champapur of Angadesha. This boy named Shripal was very beautiful, pious and the master of noble virtues. When Shripal matured, the king handed over noble son. He himself went to Swarag through Jin-Diksha and Samahi-maran (a calm and peaceful death). Shripal, the benevolent king used to look after his praja (kingdom) just like an obedient son.

As we know, in his previous life the king Shripal had insulted the saint saying `Kohri, Kohri'. Shripal had the terrible disease of leprosy in his body as the results of his previous sins. His body was filled with bad-smelling wounds. The same pitiable condition was of 700 friends. The people started to take shelter in other places to escape from the infection of the disease. The whole kingdom was deserted slowly. Some experienced aged persons invoked Veerdaman, the uncle of Shripal to take some action. When Shripal came to know about the troubles of his people, he himself abandoned his kingdom and took shelter in a lonely place far away from Champapur so that his people may not feel uneasy and disturbed.

The king Pahup Pal was the ruler of Uijjayini of Malvadesh. He had a daughter named Mainasundri who was very pretty, religious and virtuous. One day the king aska, ``Whose fate has provided you such a luxurious life ?'' Though Mainasundri was a devoted child of her father but she believed in individual efforts and individual fate. Therefore, her answer was ``I am enjoying such a life due to my good deeds (punya) of previous life.'' Being angry, the king felt insulted and he married his beautiful daughter with Shripal, a poor victim of leprosy to make her life full of miseries and to face the consequences of her words.

Mainasundri proved to be an ideal wife. She had a firm faith in one's own efforts and fortune. She served her husband and others with full devotion. In the orchard Mainasundri did Siddhachakra puja wholeheartedly without any selfishness. After Abhishek (bathing of idols) in Jain Mandir she sprinkled the holy water (Gandhodak) on Shripal and other kushties. This sacred process continued till eight days. In Sidha-chakra Vidhan nitya (eternal, permanent) and Nirenjan (spotless) siddha permesthi is worshipped. The king Shripal regained his lost health on the 8th day with 700 veers. This was a miracle of firm faith and true reverence towards religion.

Being happy the parents of Mainsundri invited them with great respect in their palace. Shripal lived there for sometime, then proceeded to different countries to earn money with his own efforts. One day Shripal was sleeping in the garden near sea-shore. Some passengers took him away to the place where the five hundred ships of Dhaval Seth were blocked in the sea. Dhaval Seth, the great businessman, humbly requested Shripal to do something. Shripal recited `Maha Namokar Mantra' and enabled the fixed ships to move. Being satisfied Dhaval Seth made him his partner in the business and allowed him to accompany him. In Hansdweep Shripal was married with Rayanmanjusha. Dhaval Seth was maddned by the beauty of the princess and he pushed Shripal into deep sea to quench his sexual thirst through a conspiracy. As our readers know that in his previous life Shripal had done the same thing to a Jain Muni. Shripal had to fall down into the lap of the sea as a result of his bad deeds (dushkarma). How apt this proverb is-As we sow, so we reap.

Now, Dhaval Seth tried to rape Rayanmanjusha to satisfy his sexual lust. But as she was a true, sati the angles of water emerged at the sea-shore to help her. They rebuked Dhaval Seth for his villiany and crushed him and punished him harshly. Everyone saw the pitiable condition of Dhaval Seth, but the angels were invisible. This created a sense of fear in the hearts of the people and they requested Sati Rayanmanjusha to forgive Seth. Rayamanjusha remembered Jinendra Bhagwan and wished for the good of all people and Dhaval Seth. The angels of water said, ``Being impressed by your devotion and pity we have done the whole thing. Don't worry. None can harm or truble the religious persons at all. Religion or some heavenly power protects him from all miseries. The sinner never gets peace and happiness. He is punished for his misdeeds, one day or the other. It is definite. The day of the happy meeting with your husband Shripal will come soon. No one can dare to hurt you till we are present. Saying this the angels disappeared. Rayanmanjusha was very happy to hear this good news. Being ashamed Dhaval Seth apologized to the princess and Rayanmanjusha forgave him.

Lying in the sea, Shripal realised the evil intentions of Dhaval Seth to her wife. Even then the he thought, ``Seth is only the secondry reason, I have gained what I did in my past life.'' Being patient he attempted to cross the vast ocean reciting, Namokar Mantra. He succeded to reach the sea-shore with the help of a small log piece. Shripal reached Kumkum Deep whose ruler was the King Satraj with wife Vanmala and the daughter Gunmala. Both Shripal and Gunmala were married according to the prophecy made by an avadhigyani Muniraj.

Dhaval Seth reached the court of king Satraj regarding his business. He got afraid to see the prosperity of Shripal and to remember his sins. He made a conspiracy to kill Shripal. He returned to his ships at the sea-shore and sent a group of actors (bhand or nattas) to dance in the court. The King Satraj was happy by their performance. When Shripal began to distribute sweet etc. to those persons, they cried loudly, ``This man (Shripal) is our relative belonging to the same lower cast and sociert. ``They narrated a false/magined story of the ship-work to the king. When they lost their youngest son Shripal. As king Satraj heard this, being angry he ordered his servants that Shripal should be hanged till death. Shripal took this great calamity peacefully and thougty. ``This is only the result of my sins committed in the past life. I am new at this place. No one will believe my reality. But, I am sure it is the truth that wins at last.'' So Shripal accepted the severe punishment of death though he was not guilty of the false accuses.

As we have read earlier, in his past life, Shripal has insulted the great Digamber muni saying. ``Bhand, bhand''. That's why he was addressed in the court by the same words. As in a very large round building if a man speaks bad words, these words will echo and come back to him. If a man speaks good words, the same words will return to him after echoing. Like that what man does, good or bad, he will have to bear its consequences surely.

Shripal was about to be hanged. While going Shripal was thinking, ``If I wish, I could kill all the persons alone. But this will not be the mark of my nobility. I should bear the fruits of my sins without any complain. ``Forebearence imparts mental peace and man becomes happy after destroying the dushkarmas. My readers will bear in mind that Shripal has lifted his sword to kill the innocent vitragi saint. Therefore, in present life he had to pay such a cruel penalty for that sin.

As Gunmala came to know about that disaster she wept and cried, and came to meet Shripal, her husband. Shripal consoled her with the words, ``To cry and complain at the time of misery and adversity is fruitless. As everything is the rewards of one's own actions, virtuous or non-virtuous. You can have a full enquiry about me from Rayanmajnusha.'' Being depressed but with a single ray of hope in her heart, Gunamala met Rayanmanjusha at the sea shore. Rayanmajnusha told her about the royal birth and the nobility of Shripal. She said softly, ``Sister, there is nothing to lament and weep. The man about whom you are asking is not an ordinary man but a Kshattriya Prince, a great man gifted with so many siddhies (extra-ordinary virtues). In this birth he will gain the ideal state of soul that is salvation. He is mighty, unconquerable by others. He is really the great `Kotibhatta' Shripal.' (Kotibhatta refers to a superb man who can quattel with one crore persons at a time, alone). Both of them went to the king Satraj and conveyed the whole matter. The king was pleased to know this and desired to forget his error. He said to Shripal that he was wrong in his decision. Shripal replied with due to respect, ``You should not be blamed for this. Everyman bears the results of his own acts (karmas). But one thing you should remember as you are the king. It is your main duty to do justice to everybody. To be in haste or impulsive is not good on your part. You should give your decision after proper thinking so that no innocent may be punished.'' The king took away Shripal and Gunamala and Rayanmanjusha to the palace with great honour, where they lived happily.

The readers are familiar of the past life of Shripal. Once he lifted his sword with the intention of killing the muni but luckily he did not kill him and returned to the palace. As its result, he was given the death punishment but was not hanged. The noble Shripal had to suffer a lot at the hands of Dhaval Seth. The king Satraj sent his soldiers to bring the Seth in the court. They beat him harshly and pressented him before the king. The king asked Shripal, ``what punishment should be given to such a sinner ? Now Shripal has fully experienced the frolics of karma or destiny. His answer was ``Dhaval seth is like my father. He hurt me but those troubles have benefitted me in so many ways as marriage with the noble princess Gunamala. He should not be punished. Dhaval Seth was saved due to the kindness of Shripal.

But Dhaval Seth was burning in the fire of penance. His conscience was cursing him for his meanness. His own disgraceful deeds and the greatness of Shripal haunted him every moment and deprived him of mental peace. He felt regreatful. Oh, he is a devil and Shripal proved to be an angel of goodness. This feeling of consciousness made him physically and mentally sick. He breathed his last through heart attack and fell down into hell (narak) due to his misdeeds. Though Seth had no physical torture. He was not punished due to the nobility of Shripal, but his own mean acts, immoral intentions and thoughts threw him in a state of mental insanity, emotional diversity and the whole system of his body was affected by his abnormal tense mentality. This very conscience dammed him into the mouth of Yama (death) as he was not able to relieve himself from this psychological phobia.

On the other hand, when Shripal heard the news of death, he went to his wife to console her. He said with respect, ``Mother ! I respect you like my mother. Don't cry and weep; I am your son and can sacrifice myself to serve you. You may live here or if you wish to go to your country, I can arrange the whole thing.'' She expressed her desire to go. Then Shripal managed properly so that she may have no problem in the way.

Shripal enrned a good name and fame all over the world on the basis of his noble deeds and religious stability. He returned to his country after marrying a number of princesses. He ruled over his kingdom for some time like an obedient son of his father. One day, standing on the roof of his palace, he was looking towards sky. The lightening flashed for a moment and disappeared. Shripal thought, `Oh! all these worldly objects are transitory; our happiness based on these mortal things is also momentry. It is the unicersal law of nature that what is born will die or decay one day definitely by the inevitable time.'' As soon as he realised this harsh reality, this world lost meaning for him. He made his son, Dhanpal, the king and himself with those 700 persons, adopted childlike Nirgrantha (naked) Munivesha, giving up all external and internal possessions (parigrah). He gained Kevalagyana (absolute knowledge) and then gained the ideal state of soul that is salvation through his devotion and meditation. Mainasundri also, with other queens, adopted `Aryika Diksha' and was born as a deva in the 16th swarg through her firm faith in religion. Other queens had the different states in swarag according to their individual virtues and efforts