SAMRADITYA SAGA Part 2 - TANGLES OF HATRED

Kusumavali's renunciation

“Your majesty, Prince Anand has boldly refused to meet you,” Commander Jaipal said to the king.
“But his coronation has to be done. What about that? Announcement has been made in the city.”
“King, as far as I know, the prince has nothing except hatred for you in his heart. His speech, mannerisms seemed so. Maybe he is planning some kind of rebellion against you.”
“But Jaipal, where is the need to revolt? It’s not that I am refusing to give the kingdom, then why should he plan a rebel? I am myself ready to coronate him. After handing him the kingdom, I will soon be renouncing home and accepting monkhood. I don’t want to be a hurdle in the prince’s path.”
“But the prince is not thinking as simply as you.”
“What if I go to him and clarify everything? Will you come there?”
“I don’t feel right at all. And after seeing the atmosphere in the prince’s palace, it is dangerous for you to go there.”
“What are you saying, Jaipal? Why are you worried about my safety? What is the fear of a father going to his son’s house?”
“The son who has enmity towards his father, consider his father as his enemy, the father should not go to that son’s house at all. This is my personal opinion. Then as you wish.”
‘’Jaipal, you are my friend. You are worrying for my life, aren’t you? But now I am not interested in this life anymore! The life that I had wished for is not at all desirous for me now.”
‘’I am sad that the prince whom you raised, taught and gave love against the wishes of the Queen, that son has enmity towards you without any reason. This is unbearable for me. King, my lord! I still request you to keep the prince’s coronation on hold. You and the queen leave for your desired path of renunciation. Whose coronation is to be done and when, leave it all on the cabinet!”
‘’Jaipal! The queen had said the same thing. Since she hates the prince, he’s a poisonous snake according to her!”
‘’Today, I have the same opinion. He felt like a perilous snake to me. No one could say when it would bite. I really found him to be a terrible man.”
“Alright, his karmas are dominating him. What not do beings do in this physical world under the control of karma? Jaipal, if this is true, then efforts to completely destroy the bondage of karmas should be done in this life itself.”
“Your Majesty, you will not visit the prince’s palace, will you?”
“My dear friend! I feel like going there once!”
“It is your karma that is making you go there. The prince’s actions are driving him to kill you. Your own actions are driving you to become a victim, is this what I should believe?”
“Jaipal, why are you imagining my murder?”
‘’Because I have come after meeting the prince and seeing his bad temper. I didn’t like him at all. It was as if the fire of enmity towards you was burning in every cell of his body. Such a man cannot be trusted even bymistake!”
***
Commander Jaipal tried to persuade the king to not go to the prince’s palace. But the king had made up his mind to go there.
Jaipal had given the necessary instructions to the king’s guards. He had warned them not to make any kind of mistake.
The king reached the prince’s palace in a chariot.
The gatekeeper ran inside the palace and gave the news of the king’s arrival to the prince. Prince Anand’s blood boiled. His anger had flared up. He immediately decided in his mind, ‘This is a very good opportunity to transport this enemy of mine to afterlife.’ He hid behind the door of the room with a sword in his hand.
The king entered the room.
As soon as the guard entered behind him with a sword, the prince beheaded the guard. The king looked back and said, ‘Oh Kumar…' Just then, the prince stabbed the sword in the king’s body. The king fell on the ground. But when he tried to attack the second time, the sword fell from his hand. The sword had struck his hand. When he turned and looked towards the door, Commander Jaipal trapped him in the noose of a rope. The soldiers surrounded the prince’s palace.
The soldiers of Durmati tried to defend, but the king’s army launched a fierce attack and began to crush those soldiers. The word spread like fire in the city. There was panic amongst the people.
Commander Jaipal reprimanded the prince and said, “Hey, traitor! Now you can’t escape alive from my hands.” Saying this, Jaipal raised the sword up in the sky. He was about to strike when the king said.
“Jaipal, don’t kill the prince, you have my swear. What will you get by killing him now? I am lying in the lap of death, I am a guest for a few hours. You leave the prince, get his coronation done. Now he is your king!”
Jaipal was compelled in front of the King’s orders. He commanded the soldiers to stop the war. His heart shattered with bitterness. ‘Such level of mercy? That too on the wicked? No, this is wrong! It is a big mistake to show mercy on the wicked people in this world. The criminal must be punished. He untied the prince’s shackles. He himself went out of the palace quickly. Other soldiers also left from there with a heavy heart.
The prince felt relieved. He immediately ordered Durmati, “Tie this enemy of mine tightly with a rope!”
“Leave the king! Hand him over to us.” Many civilians came there saying this. They started shouting but the prince ordered the soldiers of Durmati to push all of them back. They were caught and put behind bars.
The king was tied and taken to jail in front of Durmati. The king was locked up in a dreadful section of the prison. In this dark section, it smelled awful. In another corner, there was a pile of urine and excreta. There were snakes in the burrows of the walls. Skin of snakes were hanging on the thatched roof. Big rats were coming out of their bills and running around in the section. It was one kind of hell. The king was imprisoned in it and guarded outside by Durmati's soldiers.
Queen Kusumavali’s maid ran to her and narrated the accident that happened in Anand’s palace. She also told about the imprisonment of the king.  She burst out in tears, started beating her chest and rolling on the ground. Her hair was in a mess. She was getting unconscious crying bitterly. Commander Jaipal and Madanrekha reached there. Madanrekha forcibly grabbed the queen in her arms.
Jaipal said in a calm voice, “Queen, you are wise. You know the nature of the world very well. Don’t cry. What was meant to happen, of which we had clear indications, has happened!”
The queen’s moaning subsided, but she was very distressed.
She told Jaipal in a bitter voice, “Jaipal, despite being a warrior, you let this happen.”
“Queen, what could I do? Before the second strike, I had caught the prince and raised the sword in the air to attack him. But the king himself stopped me. He gave his swear and my hands stopped. Queen, my mind is completely pissed. Now it is not possible to live in this city. We shall leave from here at the earliest!”
“We’ll talk about this later, first take me to the king. I want to meet him!”
“But you won’t be able to see his condition. You won’t be able to control your heart.”
“No, Jaipal. What’s left now? My heart shattered the day this evil came in my womb. I endured everything silently. It was not easy to convince the king. The fear that had been eating me up, has come true today. You take me to the king once, you have my swear.”
Jaipal took Kusumavali to the prison. Kusumavali reached the section where the king was locked. On seeing the king, Kusumavali collapsed on the ground and started weeping. Her cry made the atmosphere of the prison further gloomy.
The king said calmly, “Devi! Calm down. What you are doing, is Aart Dhyaan. Sinful karmas are bound by doing Aart Dhyaan. It keeps the mind drowned in sorrow. So, don’t moan. There is no benefit of grieving.
This entire world is like this. A furious dance of attachment and aversion is going on. All beings are the characters of this drama. You are also a characters of the drama and I am also a character in this drama-like world. The results of karmas of past lives cannot be stopped. Those results have to be faced with equanimity. There is no essence in the material pleasures of this world! What is essential, is Jinvachan! And you have received it. Only the teachings of Tirthankar are worth taking refuge of. That's why, you should follow Jinvachan.
Wealth and property is fickle like the flash of lightning. Meeting of relatives is momentary like a dream.
Different forms of attachments are actually sorrowful. Kusumavali’s mind got somewhat reassured.
She said, “Swami, your words are true. I have no doubt in that. Now I have no desire to live. And now it is not possible for me to live in the palace under any circumstances. You give me consent, I want to accept monkhood.”
“Devi, if there is anything essential in this world, then it is one and only monkhood. You will be able to accept monkhood both physically and mentally. I also accept monkhood mentally! May your path be smooth. I pray to God.”
Kusumavali repeatedly asked the king about his well-being. She bowed down at his feet and slowly came out of the section.
Commander Jaipal was standing outside the prison. He took Kusumavali safely to the palace.
Kusumavali asked Jaipal, “When do you intend to leave the city?”
“Today itself, queen!”
“Then I will also come with you. Will you take me to Vidyadhar Sadhviji named Gandharvadutta? I will renounce home and accept monkhood under her and spend the rest of my life there!”
Madanrekha cried keeping her head in Kusumavali’s lap.
“What has happened? The palace has become like a graveyard. Everything has been looted!”
“Madanrekha, this is sansaar. A lot of such things happen suddenly in this world.”
“But Devi, what if abortion had taken place at that time itself?”
“Who can defy fate? It is not possible to avoid it.” Looking at Jaipal, Kusumavali said, “Let us leave today, now itself. Both of you pack your bags.”
“What kind of preparations, queen?”
“We will leave on two horses! Madanrekha and you on one horse and I will come on the other horse!”
Thousands of men and women gathered in the courtyard of the palace. Everyone was crying. The queen came out of the palace taking support of Madanrekha’s shoulder. The citizens greeted her.
Jaipal said with an intense voice, “Dear citizens! Bid farewell to the queen. She is going on the path of self-purification. She will make human life successful by becoming a nun.”
“Don’t leave us and go, queen.”
The citizens blocked the queen’s way
“Dear people! Can I stay in this palace even for a minute now? Is it possible for me to stay in this city now? My mind has become detached from the physical world. I wish you all the best!”
Taking support of Madanrekha’s hand, Kusumavali mounted on the horse. After this, Madanrekha also climbed on the horse. People bowed with joined hands and gave way to the horse.
Jaipal rode on another horse.
Thousands of citizens started walking behind the two horses. They kept walking far away from the city. The horses stopped. Commander Jaipal asked the citizens to return.
Nagarsreshthi asked Jaipal, “Commander, are you also leaving us?”
“Yes! Now I cannot live in this city or this state. My mind has become disinterested from this world. We will go wherever destiny takes us! I salute you all.”
The people stood up. The horses moved on and kept going.
***
This incident happened innumerable years ago in West Mahavideh region. Far from Jaipur state, Sadhviji Gandharvadutta was present in Adityapur City.
Queen Kusumavali had come in her acquaintance years ago. It was her resolution to accept monkhood at her feet. After travelling for several days, they reached Adityapur.
The nun was staying in the house of Shresthi Adinath in Adityapur city. Kusumavali along with Jaipal and Madanrekha bowed down to her.
Jaipal introduced Kusumavali to the nun.
Kusumavali requested the nun to grant her monkhood. The nun gave her the attire and involved her in their family of nuns. Jaipal and Madanrekha accepted the vows of householders and settled in the same city.