Once when Lord Mahavir was putting up in the Gunashil temple, King Shrenik went to offer his salutations with a royal retinue.
One the way, the king saw King Prasannachandra of Potanpur, meditating under a tree outside the town. King Shrenik was full of devotion when he saw Prasannachandra’s benign countenance full of bliss beatitude. He wondered at that king’s deep penance and meditation.
After bowing down to Lord Mahavir, King Shrenik took his seat and asked, ‘Lord, I saw Prasannachandra in deep meditation on the way. I have hardly seen such deep meditation. Hence, I would like to know something about him. “O Lord, suppose this monk performing severe penance, dies this moment, what state would he achieve after his death?”
The Lord said, “he would have the state of the seventh hell.” All the persons that were sitting there were aghast at this reply. They wondered how that was possible in case of such a great seeker after truth. But the forecast of the Lord could not be wrong they thought.
Then King Shrenik asked, “Suppose he dies at this moment?”
“Well, he will go to the sixth hell,” replied the Lord. Then the king asked where he would go if he were to die that very moment.
“To the fifth hell,” answered Lord Mahavir. Then king went on asking this time?” And Mahavir said, “The fourth, the third, the second and finally the first hell.” Then he again asked, ‘If he were to die now?” Immediately came the reply, ‘The first heaven, “Then as the questions were asked, the Lord went on saying, “Then second, the third, the fifth and finally the highest paradise.”
At that very moment there wafted in a fragrant breeze. Drums were heard beating in the sky. The whole world began to experience a sense of rare bliss and joy. King Shrenik too felt a celestial joy. Hence he could not help uttering, “How strange!” The Lord said: “Prasannachandra has cut down all the bonds of Karma. He is emancipated.”
The king thought, “How wonderful! Seventh hell is followed by eternal bliss! All the clouds have vanished, indeed!” He again said, ‘Lord, this is indeed a mystery” Mahavir then said, “King Prasannachandra was in an agitated state when you saw him for the first time. He was thinking of the trouble that would befall his son. He had heard of the trouble coming from the King of Magadh. He thought that his kingdom of Potanpur was besieged by the enemy and it was difficult to save the kingdom from falling into the enemy’s hands. So Prasannachandra took up arms on behalf of his son. But then, he was only in meditation under that tree.” King Shrenik then asked the Lord if this mental agitation of Prasannachandra. So Lord Mahavir said, “We cannot concentrate if our problems remain unsolved. He ought to have embraced monkhood after getting rid of the troubles facing the prince. He had created another for himself while in meditation. This disturbed his balance of mind, and he could concentrate in his meditation.’
“What happened next?” asked king Shrenik.
“Well, his sword broke down while fighting. And he could not find another weapon. So he tried to touch his crown to throw it at the enemy. But, as soon as he touched his head, He found that there was no crown. He then realized that there was no enemy before him, but, he was only engrossed in meditation. Everything else was illusion. He was only a monk at that time, who was meditating in the garden on the out skirts of the town. He soon realized that the outward abandonment is meaningless, if is not in awakened state. After all, this world is also our own creation. This realization helped him to go the highest heaven in the end. He had succeeded in cutting off all the bonds that had obstructed eternal light.”
Moral: Outward appearance and the garb of a monk will not ensure liberation. It is the inner state of oneself. This story emphasizes what gunasthanak(stages of spiritual progress)is all about. It is the inner state of oneself which will determine the progress on the path of spirituality.
