STORIES

Manopari Ujzitkumar

Eight type of pride renders the following consequences : Desirous of royal happiness has to face an ordeal through very strict meditation. Such souls are reborn in the various species of birds men with the pride of high caste, are reborn as insects and worms. The pride for the noble family becomes the cause of rebirth in the body of a fox. The proud of beauty are reborn as camels. The proud of power have to be reborn as butter flies. The proud of intelligence are born again as goats. The proud of prosperity have to be reborn as dogs. The proud of fortune are reborn as snakes, crows and so on. The proud of gains are reborn as oxen. Thus out of pride of eight kinds the cursed souls are reborn in various species of creatures.

There was a king named Ratnasara in Nandipura. Like a cloud he was watering the creepers
of morality i.e. ruling with moral principles and solving the problems of all the hardships of the subject.

King Ratnasara had a loving wife named Premalata like a creeper of love herself. Once a soul entered into her embryo (i.e. she conceived).

Because of the presence of the soul in her embry the queen Premalata felt desire to kill the king - to steal, to cheat, to hang - some one and such other evils.

The queen Premalata having born a child secretly deserted it out side the town, but due to stronger longevity the child did not die.

Some merciful merchant saw the child and brought it home. Then he handed it over to his wife
and she nursed the child.

Because of having found deserted the foster father purposely named him Ujjhita. He gradually
grew five-six years old.

I am wise, knowledgeable, rich and strong. Before me, all these people are like poor servants; with this amount of pride he used to look at the three worlds as piffle and being stauch and strong like a mountain and a pillar, he used to pass his days.

That rude and arrogant Ujjhita like a leader of rascals did not bow down to his parents, gods and teacher. He remained engrossed all the while in his arrogance.

Once the father said to Ujjhita, Son ! go to school. Learn books. Leave cheating. Be modest to
the teacher.

Father ! I am already an erudite person. What would I gain by paining my throat ? What that poor teacher would teach me ?

Son ! this is tradition of merchants. Thus (with) sweet speech of persuasion, he sent the son to school. There he learnt alphabet.

Once Ujjhita commited an offence. So the art-teacher slapped him. Immediately, in turn, he said to the teacher, "Oh beggar ! Don't you know me ?"

What is the use of your teaching ? Saying such he suddenly got up and gave a slap on the face of the teacher.

That wicked Ujjhita holding the hair, dashed the teacher down on the ground, from his high position; what is wrong for the wicked to do ?

On having known of the fact, the king called Ujjhita and said, "Oh fool ! why did you beat your teacher ?"

That wicked Ujjhita taking his eyebrous up said arrogantly to the king, "That beggar is a little educated, then what is wrong in beating him ?

"If anyone else humiliates me this way, he too will be paid in the same coin (taste the same fruit.)" He uttered fearlessly and arrogantly to the King.

The King being angry and catching him by neck exiled him from the town, but out of fear of infanticide he did not kill Ujjhita.

O wise people, look at the result of the pride received, in the form of separation from the relatives, an insult by the ruler and banishment to the wilderness in this life itself.

As the sovereign is the supreme among men and Indra is the supreme among all gods, so modesty is the best of all the virtues.

Then that boy Ujjhita also wandering in the dangerous forests came to a hermitage crowded with austere ascetics.

That rude boy Ujjhita sat down stretching his legs before the hermits without bowing them. Even the hermits asked him not to sit that way.

On hearing the hermits words Ujjhita got angry and immediately left the hermitage and to wander in the forest he saw a lion.

The lion too roaring horribly and raising the tail dashed against Ujjhita. On that point angry and arrogant Ujjhita began to think.

Oh who is this beast ? Should I run away on seeing such an ordinary animal ? The people will
mock at me believing me got afraid of this ordinary beast, if I flee from here.

Thinking thus, Ujjhitakumara did not flee from the lion and the lion attacked and killed him. It is said in the sacred text that a lion devours men.

Then Ujjhita was reborn as a donkey and then as a camel and at last as a horse. Then again he was born as a son of a priest in the same city.

After having mastered all the sciences expired and by dint of pride, was born as a mariner in the same city.

As the priest looked at the mariner, he became more and more attached to him. The reason is
: love and hatred of the previous life are difficult to be forsaken.

One day the priest asked the visitor spiritualist the reason for such an affection towards the mariner. Then the ascetic explained.

The wise monk narrated the whole life-sketch developed out of pride right from the beginning.
Which scholars, in this world, are not afflicted by pride ?

On hearing the speech from the learned monk the priest got detached from the world life and having taken initiation from the monk attained Salvation.

Ujjhita also being initiated by the teachers to Jainism presenting salvation, attained his goal. Therefore man, do not respect your ego, the seed of worldly life.