King Shrenik was the ruler of the Magadha region in Bihar. He had a beautiful wife named Dharini. Once when she was sleeping, she saw a dream of a white elephant entering her mouth. She immediately woke up and share the dream with the King. King Shrenik knew that this was an auspicious dream. He called the dream experts who predicted that the queen would give birth to a very handsome and intelligent son who will excel in everything. The king and queen were very pleased to hear this.
In due course, the queen gave birth to a beautiful son, whom they named MeghKumar. MeghKumar grew up and was sent to Gurukul when he turned eight. There, he learned 72 different skills and became an accomplished young man. He then got married and started enjoying his worldly life.
Once, Lord Mahavira, the twenty-fourth Tirthankara visited Rajgrahi, the capital of the Magadha kingdom. Everyone in the capital went to listen to his sermons and so did Meghkumar. Looking at the divinity of Lord Mahavir and listening to the sermons, he had a deep and lasting impression. He realized the transient nature of the world and its pleasures. He decided to renounce the world and become a monk.
He went to his parents and conveyed his desire to renounce the world. They were saddened by this and tried explaining to Meghkumar the difficulties of monkhood. He will have to walk barefoot, sleep on the floor, eat whatever is offered, do penance. All this did not deter Meghkumar, he remained firm on his decision. He renounced the world and became the disciple of Lord Mahavira.
At night, all the monks slept on the floor in a line according to their seniority and age. Meghkumar was the youngest and the only place left for him to sleep was near the door.
During the night, when some of the monks went out to attend to nature’s call, they would accidentally stamp over his bed or his feet which lay near the door. Because of this, Meghkumar kept getting disturbed and could not get sleep. He started to think about his palace life with all the comfort and luxuries. He felt his parents were right about the difficulties of monk life and he should have listened to them.
He decided to give up his monkhood so the next morning he went to Lord Mahavira to take his permission and return home. Lord Mahavira who was omniscient knew the intent of Meghkumar’s visit. He said to him –
“You want to give up monkhood for these small discomforts? Did you forget the bigger discomfort of your previous life?”
Meghkumar was eager to know more. Lord Mahavira continued –
“You were the king of the elephants in a forest. Once you narrowly escaped the forest fire and decided to create a shelter that all animals could use in case of fire. For this, you cleared a vast patch of land and removed all the trees, bushes, and plants.
After a few days, the forest fire broke out again. You and all the animals took refuge in this open land you had created. There was not a single space left. You lifted your leg because of an itch. A small rabbit that was still trying to find some space ran and took shelter below your leg. You held your foot up to save the rabbit. The fire went on for three days but you continued to hold your foot out of compassion for the rabbit.
After the fire ended, all the animals including the rabbit retreated into the forest. You tried to lower your foot but it had stiffened. You lost your balance and fell. You could not get up and lay down there for three days and nights suffering from agonizing pain. Ultimately you died and were born here as prince Meghkumar because of your compassion.
You faced so much pain and discomfort to save the rabbit and received this priceless human life. Do you want to give up monkhood for small discomforts?
You have taken the first step towards liberation by renouncing the world. Remember that all this suffering and happiness are only due to our karmas. They are only temporary by their very nature. Everlasting happiness is achieved only upon liberation.”
Meghakumar was spellbound by the Lord’s words and realized his mistake. He started leading a rigorous austere life, doing fasting and meditation most of the time. He later took a vow to fast until death. After a month of rigorous penance, he died and was born in heaven. From there he will be reborn as a human being and attain liberation.
Wisdom Bite
Compassion is one of the most important virtues of human beings. How much compassion have we inculcated in our lives? We are an evolved species with a higher level of consciousness compared to other species. It is our responsibility to be compassionate not only with fellow human beings but also with all the living creatures on this planet. We need to love and protect them.
But what we see around the world is quite the opposite. There is extreme exploitation happening for our selfish motives and gains. Just look at the beauty industry, fashion industry, meat industry to name a few, exploitation of animals is everywhere. Destruction of the forests, and the wildlife due to mass industrialization. Marine life being destroyed due to the dumping of wastes, digging of oil wells, the list can go on.
For our spiritual growth, we have to be more concerned and sensitive to all the living beings on this planet. Only then can reach the ultimate liberation like Meghkumar.
October 14, 2020
Your “wisdom bite” is unmatched and Well written. 👏👏
October 14, 2020
Thank you 🙏