Shikhi sat to eat. Two monks sat beside him. Jalini came there.
She kept the sweet ball in his vessel and said with devotion, “Son, my dream has come true. I finally got peace today.”
Shikhi recited Navkar Mantra and ate the sweet. Jalini was standing at some distance. Shikhi felt restless within a few seconds. His nerves began to strain. He stood up and looked at all the other monks. Everyone looked fine. He thought to himself,
‘I don’t know why am I feeling so uneasy? I have never felt such pain before.’ He looked at Jalini, who was standing in front of him. Jalini was staring at Shikhi. He somewhat understood but didn’t say anything! He told the monks sitting next to him that he was feeling uneasy and there was a lot of pain in his body. He got alert thinking that now he won’t be able to live for long and death is approaching him. He tried to speak but he couldn’t! He joined his hands, saw all the monks and fell down. Two monks immediately caught him and made him lie down. They called everyone loudly.
“Come fast! God knows what has happened to Gurudev?”
Within a few seconds, all the monks gathered.
Everyone asked, “What happened?”
The two monks sitting next to him said, “Gurudev ate the sweet that Jalini gave him and within a few seconds, he started feeling uneasy. His pain kept increasing. He couldn’t even speak and just collapsed on the ground.”
Jalini came running and said, “What happened to you, my son? Why aren’t you speaking? At least say something! Are you suffering? What happened to you suddenly?” She began to cry loudly. “What an unfortunate woman I am!”
She pretended to cry. All the monks became extremely sad.
The two monks who were sitting right next to Shikhi said, “Surely, this evil mother has added poison to the sweet. Look at Gurudev’s body, it is turning blue because of the poison.”
They stood up and went to Jalini.
With eyes filled with anger and tears, they said, “You sinful woman! You gave poison to our Gurudev and now you are pretending to cry? Stop this drama of yours! What had Gurudev done to you that you killed him like this? You traitor! We trusted you and had the food you got for us. And you committed such a grave sin!”
Jalini said in anger, “You monks! You had my food and now you are blaming me! On what basis are you accusing me of giving poison? Do you have any proof? I haven’t given any poison! You are putting false accusations on me!”
“Then tell us, who gave?” asked a young monk furiously. “Are you saying? Otherwise, I will kill you here itself!” The other monks held him and took him away from her. But the young monk continued to shout, “This evil mother has given poison to Gurudev! I will announce this in the entire city. All the people will throw stones at her and the king will sentence her to death!”
The entire Meghvan became gloomy with the sadness of monks. Even the wind stopped blowing and so did the chirping of birds.
Shikhi was conscious despite the effect of the poison in his body. He had himself accepted fast unto death. He was thinking, ‘What just happened to me? Really, this world is strange. What did I think and what happened? I wanted my mother to become religious and get free from pain. My wish didn’t come true. In fact, because of my carelessness, she got disgraced. Yes, if I wouldn’t have taken food from her hands, then this situation wouldn’t have arisen. She would have felt bad but she would atleast not be condemned. People will obviously connect the past and say that ‘Jalini had a lot of hatred for her son; she always wanted to murder him. With her deceitful tactics, she finally killed him.’ Everyone will definitely insult her. It will be difficult for her to go back home.
Till the time we need to take birth in this world, we will have to face such unexpected situations. Birth, life and death are worthy of condemn. Sometimes, the past karmas of a person are such that even if he has not done any mistake, still he becomes unpopular amongst people. And some people who are actually culprits, are declared innocent. Their crime gets covered up.
Poison was spreading in the entire body. All the monks sitting around him were in tears and reciting Navkar Mantra to him. Shikhi thought, ‘Sinful karmas of my previous lives have shown their effect today. I need to accept this outcome with equanimity! I should not think about my mother now. May Lord bless her! I have received this path of salvation with great fortune. So now I should chant Navkar Mantra and stabilise my mind. I should get engrossed in meditation of the divine.’
He began to chant Navkar Mantra in his mind.
A young monk whose heart was filled with a lot of affection, faith and respect towards Shikhi, was crying and staring at Jalini with anger. Running towards the city, he screamed and shouted loudly, “Run, run! Evil Jalini has killed her son by giving him poison! She killed Shikhi, people of Koshambi! Run, Jalini has ruined the name and fame of Koshambi. She has committed a terrible sin by killing a saint.”
He shouted in every corner of the city, from the bazaars to streets. Everyone who heard him, began to run towards Meghvan.
He entered the king’s palace and shouted.
“King, a monk has been killed in your city and you are sitting here peacefully? That wicked Jalini has killed Shikhi with her tactics.
The anger of heavenly gods will now burst on Koshambi. King, come out. For the last time, come and see your beloved monk.”
Astonished, King Ajitsen came out of the palace. He greeted the young monk. He ran towards Meghvan bare feet. The young monk also ran behind him.
• There was sadness in Meghvan.
• Shikhi was engrossed in the meditation of the divine.
• He was conquering death peacefully.
• His face was glowing with calmness.
• His heart was free from hatred and attachment.
• His body was left behind and his soul moved upwards.
***
Sorrowful lament!
Knowledgeable and ascetic monks burst into tears. All the senior monks were weeping. The king and the people of the kingdom were crying.
Sadness spread all around.
A sandalwood pyre was made in Meghvan. Dark clouds appeared in the sky. There was no breeze. The environment was full of sorrow, restlessness, suffocation and grief.
The king circled around the pyre thrice and ignited fire. The body burnt. At a little distance, ninety-nine monks were standing with their eyes closed. Behind them, a weak but tall man was looking at the burning body. There were wrinkles of stress and grief on his forehead. His white hair was messy and his mouth was drying. His lips were shut. He was getting distracted every second. He would get lost in thoughts! Sometimes, his mind would visualise his entire life and moments of the past. The time that passed over the years would flash like a lightning! Sometimes, he would think of Acharya Vijaysinh’s knowledge and Shikhi’s radiance. While sometimes, the discussions in Ashok Park, the conversations with Brahmadutt and Jalini’s destruction would spring up in his mind.
He did not realise when the fire extinguished and everyone went back. When he opened his eyes, he saw ninety-nine monks standing around the ashes!
That old man was Pingal! He had gone out of town for some work. He was just entering the city when he heard the outrage of the young monk running insanely across the streets. He did not even go home. He ran straight towards Meghvan. Shikhi’s body was kept on the sandalwood pyre. With a heavy heart and teary eyes, he saw the calm face of his beloved Shikhi for the last time. Then he went a bit far and sat there!
***
All the ninety-nine monks left Koshambi with their hearts filled with anguish and sorrow. Pingal walked behind them. They neither stopped in the middle nor did they eat or drink water. Nobody uttered a single word. Everyone kept walking quietly with lots of sadness and pain in their heart!
They reached Priyankara City and went to Kaustubh Park where Acharya Vijaysinh was staying. When Gurudev saw the monks, he stood up from his place.
All the monks joined their hands, lowered their heads and said, “We bow down to you.”
Gurudev also greeted all of them. He saw everyone and was looking for Shikhi.
When he couldn’t see Shikhi and saw all monks standing with dull faces, he immediately asked, “Where is Shikhi?”
No one answered. He could only hear the sound of sobbing. Gurudev got extremely worried.
He asked the senior monks, “What’s the matter? Why is everyone crying? Is Shikhi alright? Tell me fast!”
“If he was alright then…”
“Means?”
“Shikhi has attained death, my lord.”
“Where? How?” Gurudev’s eyes were filled with tears.
“In Koshambi, due to poison.”
“Oh! My doubt turned out to be true. My fear proved to be right. Did Jalini give him poison?”
“Yes, Gurudev.”
In the meantime, all the monks in Kaustubh Park gathered there. All the nuns also came there. Everyone sat in their respective places. Acharya Vijaysinh gathered himself.
“Oh monks and nuns! Acharya Shikhi is no more in this world. He has left us and gone to heaven. He died due to being poisoned in Koshambi.”
All the monks there began to cry as if there was a thunder stroke. All the nuns also started weeping. The entire park trembled with their cries.
Acharyaji said in an intense voice, “A swan flew away from the sea. The sea now looks empty. On the night of full moon, the moon has hidden behind the clouds! What is the glory of such a night? That is our state in his absence!
Shikhi! Oh! How peaceful, happy and delighted his face was! His charming face would always glow with calmness. And his knowledge was so great! Now we won’t be able to hear his sweet voice ever! What happened suddenly? Cruel kaal snatched our precious gem from us. It feels like someone took away our heart. This is how the physical world is! The mother who gave birth to her son; she herself gave him poison and killed him! Perhaps, I always had this fear in my mind. That is why, I never sent Shikhi to Koshambi even on Brahmadutt’s request. He even told to me to protect Shikhi because he had danger from his own mother! But I sent Shikhi there after getting the news of Brahmadutt’s death and Jalini’s depression.”
Monk Samveg said, “Gurudev, Shikhi has attained a peaceful death. He has made death a festival. He kept his calmness even amidst extreme pain. He truly took care of supreme wellness. Looking at his condition, we all got worried. But he was engrossed in meditation.”
Meanwhile, a nun stood up, greeted Gurudev and said, “Gurudev, please let me fast unto death. I want to give up on food and water.”
“This is very difficult,” said Gurudev.
“My lord, living now is very difficult for me. Fasting will be easier for me.”
Kamlini’s eyes were filled with tears. Her heart was shattering out of pain. Gurudev explained her everything about the fast and allowed her to go ahead.
“Gurudev, please grant me monkhood,” Pingal fell at Gurudev’s feet.
Tears were constantly flowing down his cheeks. He was given the permission to become a monk.
After accepting it, he said intensely, “My lord, please allow me to fast unto death.”
Many monks and nuns accepted fast unto death.
***
• Shikhi’s soul reincarnated in fifth heaven.
• Jalini died with cruel intentions and reincarnated in second hell.
• Samraditya’s third life ended in this manner.
