SAMRADITYA SAGA Part 2 - TANGLES OF HATRED

Good company

Sinhkumar heard the story of seven lives of Acharya Shri Amarguptsuriji from the mouth of Acharya Shri Dharmghoshsuriji. The story which he had never heard in his life, moved Sinhkumar.
He returned to the palace. He went straight to his bedroom. He kept changing sides on his soft bed. Some unknown cause has shaken his existence.
In a matter of twelve hours, the direction of his life seemed to have completely changed. Today was an indescribable day for him. He had never  experienced such delight, joy and satisfaction in his life. He was drowning in that feeling of bliss.
The journey of seven lives of Amarguptsuriji was emerging in his mind. He felt as if he himself is the observer and also the character. Deep inside, he was experiencing a strange kind of restlessness. Unknown contemplation was pulling him towards it. Sometimes, Kusumavali would emerge on his imagination board, while sometimes the image of Dharmghoshsuriji would take shape.  And sometimes, Amarguptsuriji would appear in different forms. All night long, he kept viewing such images.
He didn’t realise when he fell asleep. Still, in his dream, he was observing himself as if the existence of his soul was separate from him.
When his eyes opened in the morning, he found Kusumavali standing beside him.
Kusumavali was unique. She had worn a thin silk scarf over her skin-coloured blouse. She was the epitome of beauty. Her arms were soft and tender. Her face was slightly elongated and almond-shaped. She had moles like dots of black ink on her chin, near her left eye and the corner of her forehead. Her forehead was straight. Moisture seemed to be floating in her eyes glowing like a deep waterfall. The pupils of her eyes were shining with a brownish tint. Her nose was thin and straight. Her black hair was scattered down her back and reached upto her calves. Kusumavali was amazing. Along with being beautiful, she was simple and far-sighted. Although there was no dearth of beautiful women in the palace, yet there was no other woman like Kusumavali!
Sinhkumar gestured her to sit on the seat near him. Sinhkumar’s eyes were staring at Kusumavali. Kusumavali noticed this and got shy.
She raised her neck slightly and said, “Swami, you stayed in the park all day yesterday. After returning in the evening, you directly went to your room. Neither did you come to me, nor did you look at me. Have I committed some mistake?”
Kumar remained silent. Kusumavali’s eyes were fixed on the prince’s face.
At last he broke the silence and said, “The joy I felt yesterday is impossible for me to explain. Acharya Shri Dharmghoshsuriji narrated the story of his Gurudev’s seven lives to me. Its effect is still lingering on my mind. Sometimes, I felt guilty while listening. Sometimes, clouds of nostalgia floated around me. A void filled with anguish was surrounding me.”
Kusumavali kept staring at the prince’s delighted face. She was attentively listening to the prince’s words. At the same time, she was also imagining the prince’s inner state. She could visualise scenes like those after heavy rainfall, thunder and lightning within the prince. In only three hours of one day, the prince had gulped the saga of seven lives.
“You must have rewinded all that in the night too and drowned in it, isn’t it? You might have not even thought of me, Swami!” Kusumavali said with a little smile and sweet temper.
She had never hurt the prince’s heart. She had always tried to keep him happy.
A smile spread on the prince’s face like the morning flowers.
Anyway, his face was always cheerful.
He said to Kusumavali, “Can I tell you the truth? If I had not been bound by your attachment, then I would have renounced today itself. Yesterday’s day and night were spent in intense detachment. This palace, this kingdom, all these relations, everything seemed like a dream to me. I trembled with fear knowing about the sorrow, horror and slyness of the physical world. My body drenched with sweat.
“Swami, relax! Forget all this like a nightmare and look at the reality! Although you are very emotional, and moreover we have only seen the world of the palace. We have spent thousands of years among royal mem. We have never peeped into the life of the ordinary or seen the misconducts of the wrong people. And you heard such a story yesterday.”
“Truly, Devi! If you listen to that story, your heart will also shiver! Yes, Acharya Amarguptsuriji’s simplicity, equanimity and patience in seven lives is worthy of appreciation. He kept getting wicked, deceitful, violent beloved ones. This game continued for seven lives. Yet he remained calm, simple and devout.”
“Okay, now the sun has risen quite high. You also have to go to the assembly after getting done with your morning chores.”
“No! Today I will not go to the assembly. Even today, I have to go to Acharyaji. The ocean of questions which is overflowing in my mind has to be pacified. I have to ask a lot of queries and get solutions.”
Kusumavali thought for a moment and then said, “If I have your permission, the can I also come with you today?”
“Sure! Come with pleasure! You too will enjoy listening to Gurudev’s answers. But if you are coming because of the stress that I will leave you, renounce and become a monk, then do not come! It is impossible for me to sacrifice you.”
Kusumavali laughed as if flowers fell from branches.
***
Sinhkumar and Kusumavali got down from the chariot outside the Nagdev Park. They walked upto the place where Acharya Shri Dharmghoshsuriji was sitting. Acharya Shri was sitting after completing his daily activities. Kusumavali was seeing Acharyaji for the first time. She was overwhelmed by the glamour and influence of Acharyaji. He was young and enchanting. Yet, his personality seemed wonderful with happiness of renunciation.
Both of them worshipped him devotedly.
Acharyaji blessed them with Dharmlabh.
They humbly sat in front of Acharyaji.
The prince joined his hands and started the conversation.
He said, “Lord, yesterday you told the reason for your self-realization. After hearing such a true incident, it is certain that a simple and emotional person becomes detached from the pleasures of the world.
You became detached and renounced as well. Your detachment inspired you and gave you the strength to renounce. But Gurudev, is there any rule that renunciation comes along with detachment?”
“Prince, there is no such rule. Detachment is the precursor of renunciation. A detached person may or may not renounce.” Acharyaji clarified the matter and said.
“Is it that detachment is true only when one renounces home? And if one does not renounce home, then his detachment will not be true.”
“A man living at home can be detached. But the decision of true and false detachment can be made by the man himself.”
“Lord, yesterday you narrated the story of your Gurudev’s seven lives. My entire existence has shuddered after hearing about the different incarnations in it. Can a human die and become a heavenly being? Can a human become a human after death? Can humans die and reincarnate in plant and animal kingdom? Can humans go to hell? Similarly, can beings of heaven, hell, plant and animal kingdom become humans?”
“Absolutely! All this is true and possible. Yes, heavenly beings cannot go straight to hell after death or a beings of hell cannot reach heaven directly.”
“Why so, Lord?” Kumar’s curiosity was getting intense.
“Because, heavenly beings cannot have such thoughts that lead to hell. They do not commit such low-level sins. The level of their thoughts doesn’t get so low that leads them to hell. In the same way, the beings of hell do not go directly to heaven. Since they do not have such auspicious thoughts that can take them to heaven. Neither can they practise any such auspicious activities. Therefore, the life of heaven is impossible for them.”
“Lord, as heard in your Gurudev’s autobiography, he was an elephant in the second incarnation, and reincarnated as a heavenly being. So, can an animal go to heaven? Can an animal observe such good thoughts and actions of high order?”
“Yes prince! This is true. However, not all animals or living beings can do that. Carnivores and violent animals cannot do this at all. Only herbivores like elephants, horses and deer can have such auspicious thoughts at the time of death that take them to heaven.
Prince, animals and birds do not need to make efforts or do good deeds to go to heaven. They cannot even do anything like that. The basis of their incarnation in heaven is their own karma. If some negative karmas get destroyed easily, or karmas have been shed due to suffering, then they can attain incarnation in heaven.
However, man definitely has to make efforts. Only on the basis of efforts can good incarnation be attained, soul can be freed and salvation can be achieved.
“Lord! What is the need of liberation?” Kusumavali asked politely.
“To receive happiness.”
“We have a lot of pleasure. Not even the shadow of sorrow has ever touched us,” Kusumavali said while putting her thoughts into words.
“The happiness that you are talking about are materialistic pleasures. And such pleasures are momentary, they are perishable.”
“Lord, we have been immersed in the ocean of happiness since millions of years, then how can they be momentary?”
“Momentary means perishable. Even after millions of years, they will get destroyed one day. Either those pleasures will fade away or we will have to leave them behind! On the other hand, the happiness of the liberated soul is eternal, everlasting and infinite.”
“Alright, lord. Material pleasures are perishable, but they last for a lifetime, don’t they?”
“No, it is not necessary. Those pleasure stay on the basis of the virtuous karmas of the soul. As long as there are good karmas in the soul, one can attain happiness. As soon as the good karmas present in the soul get used up or reduce, all the pleasure vanishes or fades away.”
“So can’t those virtuous karmas remain with man for a lifetime?”
“May or may not! They may end at any point in life, and the fire of sorrow will then continue to trouble us.”
“How long will those sorrows last in life?”
“As long as the sinful deeds causing those sorrow remain in the soul.”
Kusumavali got silent. She sank into deep thought.
Sinhkumar asked, “Gurudev! Just like sorrows have to be faced as a result of sinful deeds leads. Likewise, one has to bear the pleasures that arise as a result of virtuous deeds, right?”
“One may or may not have to bear! Some virtuous karmas have to be faced. But if they are experienced with equanimity, then the bondage of new sinful karmas can be avoided.”
“What kind of equanimity?”
“A sense of non-attachment! Without indulging or getting attached.”
“Is this possible? Material pleasures are admired, they seem dear, that is indulgence, isn’t it?”
“No, prince! Let’s try to understand it differently. Just like sugar tastes sweet, pleasures will also seem favourable. But ‘I only want such pleasures, I cannot live without them', this is indulgence. In the absence of pleasures, if one trembles like a fish without water, then that is attachment.”
Sinhkumar looked at Kusumavali. Kusumavali’s eyes met Sinhkumar. The eyes accepted the point of attachment.
“Prince, sensory pleasures aren’t worth bearing. Even if they need to be faced, then without excessive indulgence.”
“Lord, mind gets drawn towards sensory pleasures, senses get drooled. Isn’t karma the leading factor behind this?”
“It is. Karma is the leading factor. That is why, Tirthankars preach to make efforts towards Dharm.”
“What is the driving force in the pursuit of spirituality?”
“True Guru.”
“Then you will have to give us inspiration for Dharm Purusharth. We have considered you as our guru, Lord.”
“We are commanded by the Tirthankars to constantly inspire the capable beings to engage them in spirituality by preaching Dharm.”
“We will sit here everyday till you are here.”
“Your spirit is pure.”
They worshipped Gurudev and all the monks. Sinhkumar and Kusumavali came out of the park. They sat in the chariot and reached the palace.
It was time for lunch. Both King Purushdutt and Queen Shrikanta were waiting for the prince and his wife.
“We got a little late in returning from Gurudev.”
“You went to Gurudev? Very good! I am extremely happy.” King Purushdutt expressed happiness.