In the Aparvideh
area there was a city named Vitshoka. It was ruled
by a powerful king Mahabal. He was very intimate
with six other kings who were his childhood friends.
Influenced by discourses of ascetics, king Mahabal
decided to follow the spiritual path. he sought
opinion of his six childhood friends with the remark-I
want to became an ascetic, do you also?
All the six friends replied, "We have been together
during both good and bad times. When we have been
together during both good and bad times. When we
have enjoyed the mundane life in company, it would
be shameful if we part company on the spiritual
path. We shall become ascetics together and we shall
do all spiritual practices together."
The seven kings took Diksha from Varadharma Muni
and started the spiritual practices earnestly. Mahabal
was bitten by the bug of ego. he thought, "I have
always been ahead of my friends. Now, if I do the
same practices I will remain at the same level.
As such I should do a little more and be ahead as
before." With this feeling Mahabal started secretly
doing more practices than the others. All the seven
friends would formally take vow of some specific
penance together but when on conclusion, other friends
broke their fast, Mahabal would continue his fast
on some pretext. The desire to be above the ordinary
inspired this competition. As a result of this deception
Mahabal feel from the lofty spiritual level he had
attained due to his intense practices and acquired
the Karma that would result in being born as a woman
(Stri-ved). However, as he still maintained the
purity and intensity in his practices he later also
earned the Tirthankar-nam-and-gotra-karma. All the
seven ascetics breathed their last after sixty days
fast and mediation. They reincarnated as gods in
the Anuttar dimension.
Birth of Malli Kumari
The being that was Mahabal, leaving the abode of
gods, descended into the womb of queen Prabhavati,
wife of king Kumbh of Mithila town. During the third
month of pregnancy the queen had a desire to sleep
on a bed made up of fragrant flowers of five colors
and to smell a bouquet of flowers (Malladam) all
the time. It is said that if a pious soul resides
in the womb all the desires are fulfilled. On the
eleventh day of the bright half of he month of Margshirsh
the Queen gave birth to a pious and beautiful girl.
It was unprecedented that a Tirthankar be born as
a girl; everyone was surprised. But even the almighty
is helpless when the Karmas precipitate into action.
The mother’s craving for flower bouquet inspired
the king to name the girl as Malli Kumari. She was
very fond of having a bouquet of flowers. Florists
from far and near used to bring attractive and beautiful
bouquets to present her and get desired gifts in
return. Strange yarns about her infatuation for
flowers and bouquets spread all around.
Divine Earrings
Once a famous
and rich merchant, Arhannak, of Champa town, went
on a sea voyage with some other people. After
earning heaps of wealth when he was returning,
a god appeared. In order to test Arhannak’s devotion
for his religion, the god created a variety of
afflictions. Even in the face of death Arhannak
did not yield. His devotion for the path shown
by Jina was absolutely unwavering. The god was
pleased with this unrelenting determination of
Arhannak. He gave the merchant a pair of divine
earrings as gift.
On the way back the ship stopped at Mithila. All
the merchants went to King Kumbh’s assembly with
gifts. Arhannak gifted the divine earnings for
Malli Kumari. The king and his ministers became
astonished at the divine beauty of these earrings.
Once a joint in these earrings broke. king Kumbh
called expert goldsmiths to weld this joint but
none of the artisans had skill enough to do its
work. In annoyance the king exiled many of these
artisans. Wherever these artisans went they talked
of the divine beauty of Malli Kumari.
Ignorant Artist
Once Mallidinna, the younger brother of Malli
Kumari, constructed an entertainment room in the
palace premises. One of the working artists was
highly talented. This artist had a glimpse of
a toe of Malli Kumari who was standing behind
a lattice. This enable the highly gifted artist
to paint a fresco of the princess on a wall of
the room. he was under the impression that the
prince will be pleased to look at he exact replica
of his sister and richly reward him.
When the room was complete, the prince came with
his wives to look at and approve the beautiful
paintings, some of which were erotic as well.
While he was enjoying these works of art, he came
across the painting of Malli Kumari. He could
not believe what he saw. Ashamed of himself he
said, "My elder sister is here and I am shamelessly
enjoying these sensual paintings along with my
wives." His governess explained, "Prince, You
are mistaken. this is not your sister but her
life size portrait." The prince carefully examined
the painting and was astonished at the realistic
work of art and the skill o the artist. However
the feeling if anger overtook the sense if appreciation.
He was annoyed at the mindless effrontery of the
artist who had pained such a live portrait of
his respected elder sister in the entertainment
chamber.
The angry prince called the painter and asked
him when and how he saw the princess. The artist
humbly submitted, "Sire! I just saw one toe of the
princess from behind a lattice. But I am endowed
with this miraculous skill that when I start painting
even a part of a thing I automatically complete
the thing perfectly."
This explanation did not pacify the prince. He exiled
the artist after amputating his right thumb. The
vexed artist made another painting of the princess
and sold it at a very high price to king Adinshatru
of Hastinapur. Adinshatru was attracted towards
Malli Kumari, as many others who had heard about
her divine beauty.
Discussion with Choksha
One day a female mendicant named Choksha came to
Mithila. In order to influence the royal family
she came to Malli Kumari. choksha was a scholar
of Vedas and other scriptures and her interpretation
was that keeping the body clean, indulging in charity
and the annointment of Tirth (sacred place)were
the only religious activities that lead to liberation.
She started preaching her ideas to Malli Kumari,
who heard all this with patience. When Choksha had
nothing more to say, Malli Kumari said in her magnetic
voice, "With due respect to your attire, I am surprised
at your ignorance, Choksha. Know that every charity
is not done with religious or pious intent. Even
cleaning the body and annointment of a Tirth are
not sacred if they are not done with equanimous
and pious feelings or if they cause any destruction
of any living organism. A blood stained cloth will
never be cleaned by washing it with blood. The basis
of religion is a discerning attitude. To an irrational
person, even penance causes discomfort and irritation."
This irrefutable logic of Malli Kumari silenced
Choksha, but she became angry and decided to take
revenge.
Choksha decided that, in order to shatter the pride
of this princess it would be best if she could be
manipulated into marrying some king who already
had many wives. Cooking up her plan, she approached
the king of Kampilyapur in Panchal state. She gave
a titillating description of the divine beauty of
Malli Kumari and provokingly said to the king, "Your
life and palace both are lack luster as long as
you do not marry and bring this divine beauty to
your palace." King Jitshatru was highly impressed.
He decided to seek the hand of Malli Kumari in marriage.
Change of Heart of the
Six Kings
The six friends
of Malli Kumari’s earlier birth were born in six
different royal families and inherited the kingdoms.
They were:
1. King Pratibuddha of Saketpur,
2. King Chandrachhay of Champa,
3. King Rupi of Shravasti,
4. King Shankh of Varanasi,
5. King Adinshatru of Hastinapur, and
6. King Jitshatru of Panchal (Kampilyapur).
The fame of the beauty of Malli Kumari inspired
all these six kings to send proposing kings and
returned the emissaries. These kings felt insulted
and marched on Mithila with their armies and lay
a seize.
When king Kumbh got the challenge he became worried.
Malli Kumari asked about the cause of her father’s
anxiety. Kumbh replied, "Daughter! All these kings
want to marry you. My refusal has irked them and
they have surrounded Mithila. I am anxious about
what I should do now!"
Malli Kumari was already aware of all these activities
through her Avadhi Jnan (the capacity to know
all about the physical world). She made a plan
to enlighten these friends of her last birth.
In the palace garden she got a chamber made and
in its center installed a life size statue that
was her exact replica. It’s inside was hollow
and there was an opening hidden under the neck.
Six adjacent chambers were also erected around
this central circular chamber. These six chambers
had windows opening in the main chamber. These
windows were so designed that a n onlooker could
only see the statue and nothing else. Making all
these arrangements, Malli Kumari started putting
one handful of the food she ate every day inside
the hollow statue.
When the stink of decomposed food, coming out
of the statue on opening the lid became intolerable,
Malli Kumari went to her father. She said to her
father, "Stop worrying, father, and inform the kings
individually that I want to meet them to discus
about marriage." The king did likewise. Believing
that only he had been invited, everyone of the kings
accepted the invitation. At the predetermined time
they all came one by one and were led to the six
chambers allotted for them separately. From the
windows in their chambers each one of them gazed
at the divinely beautiful statue considering it
to be Mali Kumari. Everyone was dreaming of the
marriage and the happy moments thereafter. All of
a sudden Malli Kumari removed the concealed cover
from the hole in the neck of he statue. The obnoxious
smell of decomposed food filled the chambers. The
hellish smell hit the peeping kings and they were
jolted out of their state of day dreaming. Their
faces distorted with revulsion.
Panic stricken, the kings shouted, "What is all
this? Why have I been locked in this chamber? It
is impossible breath here. Please open the doors."
It was then that Malli Kumari appeared and said,
"O slaves of passions! You are totally infatuated
with female beauty. A moment ago you were admiring
this earthly beauty and were nurturing a desire
to possess and enjoy it. Now a hatred for the same
is evident on your distorted faces. What sort of
love for beauty is this?"
The kings shouted, "Why are you trying
to make fools of us? It is impossible to tolerate
this stink?"
Malli Kumari asked the attendants to open the gates
of the chambers. All the six kings rushed out and
were surprised to see each other. Finding the right
opportunity Malli Kumari said to them, "The stink
caused by just a few handfuls of food is intolerable.
Mind you, this body is nothing but a statue made
of bones and flesh and maintained by the same food.
Why such infatuation for such decomposed thing?
You are all friends of my last birth. Rise above
this infatuation and commence once again the terminted
pursuit of purification of the self."
All the six kings acquired Jati-smaran Jnan, They
sought pardon from king Kumbh as well as Malli Kumari.
Resolving to follow the path of renunciation they
left for their respective kingdoms.
Malli Kumari also announced her decision to become
an ascetic. After the great charity she became an
ascetic along with three hundred males and equal
number of females. Immediately after her Diksha,
she acquired Vipulmati Manahparyav Jnan (the ultimate
Pra normal capacity and started deep meditation.
The same afternoon she attained omniscience. In
her first discourse she discussed on the subject
of philosophy of equanimity. The six kings took
Diksha during this first discourse. After enhancing
the spread of religion for a long period she attained
Nirvana on the fourth day of the bright half of
the month of Chaitra at Sammetshikhar.
