||ILACHIKUMAR ||
||इलाचिकुमार जैन धर्म JAIN DHARM||
|| इलाचिकुमार कहानी ILACHIKUMAR ||
||JAIN RELIGION इलाचिकुमार ||
In ancient times, there lived a wealthy businessman named Dhandatta in the town of Ilavardhan. His wife, Ilachi, gave birth to a lovable son. As he was the only son, the parents deliberately kept him nameless as per the custom of the times. Eventually, as the son of Ilachi, he came to be known as Ilachiputra and then Ilachikumar. He was raised with care and attention and never lacked any luxuries, growing up to be a handsome youth. Soon, his parents felt it was time to find a wife for him. Luckily, they did not need to look very far as they were a prosperous family and Ilachikumar was their only son. Many families wanted their daughters to marry him. His parents prepared a list of selected names and asked Ilachikumar to choose the one that he liked the most. However, Ilachikumar could not make a selection.
One day, a party of acrobats came to Ilavardhan. In those days there were no stadiums where acrobats could perform, so they performed their routines for their audience on the open streets. Beating drums to announce their arrival, the acrobats planted poles in an open square off the main street and connected them with ropes while a large crowd gathered. They then began their routine, climbing the poles one after another and demonstrating their skills, walking and jumping over the high rope with ease above the fascinated audience. Attracted by the commotion, Ilachikumar also went to watch the show. While enjoying the performance, his attention was drawn to the chief acrobat’s beautiful young daughter who was dancing gracefully to the drums with bells on her feet. Ilachikumar was so mesmerized by her beauty and charm that he could not take his eyes off her.
At the end of the show, the acrobats descended the rope and started collecting money from the audience. People were very pleased with the performance and paid handsomely. After collecting a large amount of money, the acrobats left the square to camp for the night and everyone else went home. Though Ilachikumar also returned home, his mind was still on the beautiful girl he had seen that day. At dinner, his parents found him silent and unresponsive; they had never seen him so dazed. His father questioned his absent-mindedness, but he did not answer. When his mother persistently asked for the reason for his silence, he finally replied that his heart was attracted to the acrobat girl and he wanted to marry her.
His mother was taken aback to hear that. She said that she could find him a very beautiful and lovable girl from a high caste and respectable family and asked him to forget the lower caste acrobat girl, but Ilachikumar replied that he had never met any other girl who attracted him and he wanted to marry her. Acknowledging his resolve on the matter, she told her husband about their son’s intentions.
Dhandatta was shocked to hear this. He tried to dissuade his son from his intentions but Ilachikumar remained firm. Since Dhandatta was a sensible man, he could see that Ilachikumar would not be at peace without that girl. He did not want to lose his son for the sake of prestige. Therefore, he called the chief of acrobats and requested him to give his daughter in marriage to Ilachikumar.
However, the acrobat refused, saying that he was bound by a condition of his tribe. Dhandatta thought that he might be looking for money for the girl and offered to give as much wealth as the acrobat wanted in return for agreeing to marry his daughter to Ilachikumar. The acrobat however declined the offer and again replied that he could not break the condition, so Dhandatta then asked him what this condition was. The acrobat said that he could give his daughter only to a person who could win an award from a royal court by pleasing the King with his acrobatic skill and then use the prize money to provide dinner to his community.
Dhandatta was disappointed to hear a condition that was apparently impossible for his son to fulfill. After he explained to his wife what had happened, she told her son and said that the girl would only marry an expert acrobat and asked him to forget her.
Ilachikumar was silent but his mind was racing with thoughts. He felt that he would not be able to live happily without the girl and was willing to make any sacrifice for her. He decided that he was even prepared to learn acrobatic skills for that purpose. His parents misunderstood his silence as disappointment and thought that in time he would recover. For a time, they tried to divert his attention to other matters to help him forget and Ilachikumar allowed them to believe that they were succeeding, but his mind was made up. When the acrobat group decided to leave the town of Ilavardhan, Ilachikumar secretly left his home and joined the them.
He discarded his fancy clothes for the acrobats’ uniform and began learning their skills. Since he was smart and diligently worked to learn acrobatics, the chief’s daughter soon fell in love with him and helped him learn. With her help, he easily mastered the art and soon became an expert acrobat. When the group reached the city of Benatat, he requested the chief to organize a show at the royal court so that he could have a chance to fulfill the condition. The chief went to the young King and requested that he watch the performance of the young acrobat and to award him a suitable prize for his skills.
When the King agreed, the acrobats erected the poles in the compound of the royal palace and invited the officers of the state and the elite of the city to watch. Just before the show was due to start, the King arrived and took his seat in the balcony of the palace. Bowing to him, Ilachikumar went over to the pole, jumped up and began displaying his acrobatic skills.
Ilachikumar walked on the rope with ease and grace, performing risky jumps and somersaults. It was a superb performance and full of acrobatic feats no one had ever seen before. Everyone was highly impressed with his skill. Ilachikumar felt gratified by the appreciation of the people, thinking that it was enough to please the King as well. He came down and bowed to the King again and the chief went to him to request an appropriate award.
However, during the performance the King’s attention had been diverted by the beautiful girl and he had been fascinated by her. Seeing how lovingly she gazed at Ilachikumar throughout the performance, he thought that he could easily gain her if he somehow got rid of Ilachikumar. Therefore, when the chief acrobat approached the King and asked if he had enjoyed the performance, the King pretended that his mind had been occupied with problems of the state. He said that he had not been able to give his full attention to the performance. He requested Ilachikumar to demonstrate his skills again. Accordingly, Ilachikumar got on the rope again and displayed his skills, again doing a superb job. But at the end of this second show, the King pretended to be drowsy and asked him to repeat the performance again. Ilachikumar could not believe the situation. He suspected that there was something wrong. However, since he was still eager to accomplish his cherished goal of marrying the girl, he decided to try again.
Once again, he began the ropewalk, triumphantly noting the audience’s reaction. While looking around, he noticed a beautiful woman offering sweet food to a young monk. She was in the prime of her youth and was very attractive and highly graceful. However, what surprised Ilachikumar was that the monk was clearly unaffected by her beauty.
He compared this to his own situation. Ilachikumar had changed his entire life for the beauty of one girl, yet the monk was impervious to the lovely woman in front of him. He was amazed by the monk’s self-control and detachment towards the beautiful woman. What power kept the monk aloof in her presence? In addition, while not only remaining aloof, the monk’s face radiated peace!
This attitude of the monk raised a succession of thoughts in the mind of Ilachikumar. “Why do I not feel detachment in the presence of a beautiful young girl?” He also continued to wonder why the King had asked him to repeat his performances, and finally he suspected that the King must be attracted to the girl and must be waiting for him to fall from the rope. “If I fall from the rope, I would be badly hurt and would not be able to perform acrobatic feats. In that case, I will never be able to marry the girl for whom I have abandoned my home and my parents.”
Ilachikumar now realized that the happiness he was looking for was merely an illusion. He began to recall his early religious training, when he had been exposed to religious principles and had learned about the soul within the body and its immense capabilities. He realized that his achievements as an acrobat must have been due to that inner capability. Similarly, the monk could remain unaffected because he remained tuned to his soul and its abilities, remaining vigilant about potential pitfalls. “As an acrobat, I have to remain constantly vigilant because the slightest unawareness on my part could result in a fall from the high rope and possibly die. Why, then, should I not use the same vigilance for the sake of spiritual upliftment?”
In an earlier life, he had trodden a long path of spiritual pursuit. The impact of that achievement was lying subdued within him, waiting for an opportunity to manifest itself. Now, the sight of the monk provided the needed catalyst, and he became fully awakened to the realization that he was a soul and that all the other situations were simply an illusion. While on the rope, Ilachikumar dwelt deep into his self and attained omniscience, or keval-jnan. Then, he quietly climbed down the pole and bid farewell to every one as he left the place
One day, a party of acrobats came to Ilavardhan. In those days there were no stadiums where acrobats could perform, so they performed their routines for their audience on the open streets. Beating drums to announce their arrival, the acrobats planted poles in an open square off the main street and connected them with ropes while a large crowd gathered. They then began their routine, climbing the poles one after another and demonstrating their skills, walking and jumping over the high rope with ease above the fascinated audience. Attracted by the commotion, Ilachikumar also went to watch the show. While enjoying the performance, his attention was drawn to the chief acrobat’s beautiful young daughter who was dancing gracefully to the drums with bells on her feet. Ilachikumar was so mesmerized by her beauty and charm that he could not take his eyes off her.
At the end of the show, the acrobats descended the rope and started collecting money from the audience. People were very pleased with the performance and paid handsomely. After collecting a large amount of money, the acrobats left the square to camp for the night and everyone else went home. Though Ilachikumar also returned home, his mind was still on the beautiful girl he had seen that day. At dinner, his parents found him silent and unresponsive; they had never seen him so dazed. His father questioned his absent-mindedness, but he did not answer. When his mother persistently asked for the reason for his silence, he finally replied that his heart was attracted to the acrobat girl and he wanted to marry her.
His mother was taken aback to hear that. She said that she could find him a very beautiful and lovable girl from a high caste and respectable family and asked him to forget the lower caste acrobat girl, but Ilachikumar replied that he had never met any other girl who attracted him and he wanted to marry her. Acknowledging his resolve on the matter, she told her husband about their son’s intentions.
Dhandatta was shocked to hear this. He tried to dissuade his son from his intentions but Ilachikumar remained firm. Since Dhandatta was a sensible man, he could see that Ilachikumar would not be at peace without that girl. He did not want to lose his son for the sake of prestige. Therefore, he called the chief of acrobats and requested him to give his daughter in marriage to Ilachikumar.
However, the acrobat refused, saying that he was bound by a condition of his tribe. Dhandatta thought that he might be looking for money for the girl and offered to give as much wealth as the acrobat wanted in return for agreeing to marry his daughter to Ilachikumar. The acrobat however declined the offer and again replied that he could not break the condition, so Dhandatta then asked him what this condition was. The acrobat said that he could give his daughter only to a person who could win an award from a royal court by pleasing the King with his acrobatic skill and then use the prize money to provide dinner to his community.
Dhandatta was disappointed to hear a condition that was apparently impossible for his son to fulfill. After he explained to his wife what had happened, she told her son and said that the girl would only marry an expert acrobat and asked him to forget her.
Ilachikumar was silent but his mind was racing with thoughts. He felt that he would not be able to live happily without the girl and was willing to make any sacrifice for her. He decided that he was even prepared to learn acrobatic skills for that purpose. His parents misunderstood his silence as disappointment and thought that in time he would recover. For a time, they tried to divert his attention to other matters to help him forget and Ilachikumar allowed them to believe that they were succeeding, but his mind was made up. When the acrobat group decided to leave the town of Ilavardhan, Ilachikumar secretly left his home and joined the them.
He discarded his fancy clothes for the acrobats’ uniform and began learning their skills. Since he was smart and diligently worked to learn acrobatics, the chief’s daughter soon fell in love with him and helped him learn. With her help, he easily mastered the art and soon became an expert acrobat. When the group reached the city of Benatat, he requested the chief to organize a show at the royal court so that he could have a chance to fulfill the condition. The chief went to the young King and requested that he watch the performance of the young acrobat and to award him a suitable prize for his skills.
 | ||
| I | lachikumar walking the rope for the King |
Ilachikumar walked on the rope with ease and grace, performing risky jumps and somersaults. It was a superb performance and full of acrobatic feats no one had ever seen before. Everyone was highly impressed with his skill. Ilachikumar felt gratified by the appreciation of the people, thinking that it was enough to please the King as well. He came down and bowed to the King again and the chief went to him to request an appropriate award.
However, during the performance the King’s attention had been diverted by the beautiful girl and he had been fascinated by her. Seeing how lovingly she gazed at Ilachikumar throughout the performance, he thought that he could easily gain her if he somehow got rid of Ilachikumar. Therefore, when the chief acrobat approached the King and asked if he had enjoyed the performance, the King pretended that his mind had been occupied with problems of the state. He said that he had not been able to give his full attention to the performance. He requested Ilachikumar to demonstrate his skills again. Accordingly, Ilachikumar got on the rope again and displayed his skills, again doing a superb job. But at the end of this second show, the King pretended to be drowsy and asked him to repeat the performance again. Ilachikumar could not believe the situation. He suspected that there was something wrong. However, since he was still eager to accomplish his cherished goal of marrying the girl, he decided to try again.
Once again, he began the ropewalk, triumphantly noting the audience’s reaction. While looking around, he noticed a beautiful woman offering sweet food to a young monk. She was in the prime of her youth and was very attractive and highly graceful. However, what surprised Ilachikumar was that the monk was clearly unaffected by her beauty.
He compared this to his own situation. Ilachikumar had changed his entire life for the beauty of one girl, yet the monk was impervious to the lovely woman in front of him. He was amazed by the monk’s self-control and detachment towards the beautiful woman. What power kept the monk aloof in her presence? In addition, while not only remaining aloof, the monk’s face radiated peace!
This attitude of the monk raised a succession of thoughts in the mind of Ilachikumar. “Why do I not feel detachment in the presence of a beautiful young girl?” He also continued to wonder why the King had asked him to repeat his performances, and finally he suspected that the King must be attracted to the girl and must be waiting for him to fall from the rope. “If I fall from the rope, I would be badly hurt and would not be able to perform acrobatic feats. In that case, I will never be able to marry the girl for whom I have abandoned my home and my parents.”
 |
| Ilachikumar realizing the futility of attachment while observing a monk’s action |
Ilachikumar now realized that the happiness he was looking for was merely an illusion. He began to recall his early religious training, when he had been exposed to religious principles and had learned about the soul within the body and its immense capabilities. He realized that his achievements as an acrobat must have been due to that inner capability. Similarly, the monk could remain unaffected because he remained tuned to his soul and its abilities, remaining vigilant about potential pitfalls. “As an acrobat, I have to remain constantly vigilant because the slightest unawareness on my part could result in a fall from the high rope and possibly die. Why, then, should I not use the same vigilance for the sake of spiritual upliftment?”
In an earlier life, he had trodden a long path of spiritual pursuit. The impact of that achievement was lying subdued within him, waiting for an opportunity to manifest itself. Now, the sight of the monk provided the needed catalyst, and he became fully awakened to the realization that he was a soul and that all the other situations were simply an illusion. While on the rope, Ilachikumar dwelt deep into his self and attained omniscience, or keval-jnan. Then, he quietly climbed down the pole and bid farewell to every one as he left the place
The focus of this story is on the principle of detachment. The monk’s detachment towards the beautiful woman guided Ilächikumär onto the right path. Attachment to materialistic things, people, or feelings often causes misery to others and to us. We should strive to minimize our attachment to the outer world (i.e. detach ourselves) and focus on our inner self. Attachment is an obstacle in the path of self-realization.
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