King of Magadh, Shrenik Bimbisar set out on his horse for a forest outing. As he entered the Mandikuli garden, he saw a young and handsome monk meditating under a tree. His face glowed and looked very blissful.
King Shrenik wondered why someone would renounce the world at such a young age. What sorrow and experience lead him to leave all the pleasures of life and take on the harsh life of a monk?
His curiosity was making him restless. He bowed down before the monk and asked him –
“O holy one, I’m curious to know what made you leave your family, loved ones, and all the worldly pleasures of life at such a young age? You are young and handsome, you should be experiencing life and enjoying life’s pleasures instead of abdicating everything.”
The monk replied –
“O King, I was an orphan and helpless in this world. I did not have anyone who could protect me or help me. I abjured the worldly life because of such helplessness.”
Because of this, the monk was called Anathi Muni (an orphan saint)
Hearing the monk, King Shrenik said –
“Oh, for such a small thing you don’t need to renounce the world. I will be your protector, I will give you whatever you need. I will take care of you. You will no longer be an orphan.”
To this, the monk smiled and replied –
“How can you protect me when you yourself are an orphan?”
King Shrenik was taken aback hearing this. He thought maybe the monk did not know who he was. So he clarified –
“I don’t think you recognized me. I’m Shrenik, King of Magadh. I rule many kingdoms, I have a big family, many palaces, and all the luxuries of life I can yearn for. I have a large army that follows my orders. How can I be an orphan?
The monk replied –
“O King, I was a resident of the beautiful city of Kaushambi. My father was a very wealthy man. One day, I started having severe pain in my eyes all of a sudden. I could not bear the pain. I tried many medicines and treatments but there was no relief. My parents, wife all tried hard, but none could soothe my pain. This itself was my state of helplessness. I had everything and everybody with me, but nobody’s love, care, or sincere efforts could cure me. I felt like an orphan.
One night, I took a vow that if I got cured of this disease, I will renounce the world and become a monk. To my surprise, the pain started to subside and by the next morning, my pain had disappeared completely. I was cured. From the time I decided to take the shelter of Lord Mahavir my pain went. I was no longer an orphan, I had found my protector. “
The King listened to the ascetic’s life experience with great curiosity. Then the monk asked the King,
“Tell me, O King! Can your wealth, glory, luxury, family, relatives or large army take away your pain?”
The king bowed to the ascetic in affirmation and said,
“O ascetic, you are truly blessed. You have chosen the right path. I ask for your forgiveness in trying to lure you back into this material world. Please forgive me.”
Wisdom Bite
Isn’t this the bitter truth of life? We may have family, friends, money but when it comes to pain and suffering no one can help us. We have to go through it all by ourselves. Others can only pacify us or pray for us but nothing more than that. It is the same thing with money. No matter how rich you are, the money will not be able to take away your pain.
If we want to be free from pain and suffering, we need to get rid of our dependence on the body. And as long as there is birth and death, we are going to be dependent on the body. The only option is to break this cycle and attain nirvana.
The irony is that our attachment to this world and our family does not let us realize this big and bitter truth.
