Ilatiputra Charitram

This document is a summary of the "Ilatiputra Charitram" (Story of Ilatiputra), authored by Shubhsheel Gani and published by Shravak Hiralal Hansraj in 1934. The text, presented in Gujarati, details the life and spiritual journey of Ilatiputra.

The story begins in the city of Ilavardhana, in the Bharata region of Jambudvipa. King Jitashatru ruled justly, and a wealthy merchant named Ibhyas resided there with his virtuous wife, Dharini. Despite their worldly comforts, the couple was unhappy due to their childlessness. They worshipped the Jain goddess Ila for a son, vowing to name him "Ilatiputra" if their prayers were answered. Eventually, their wish was granted, and their son was born and named Ilatiputra.

As Ilatiputra grew, he was sent to school to learn various arts and scriptures. He excelled in his studies without much effort. However, upon reaching youth, Ilatiputra became indifferent to worldly pleasures, particularly women. He preferred the company of ascetics and developed a strong sense of renunciation. His father, concerned by his son's detached nature, wanted him to be more engaged in worldly affairs.

To achieve this, the father hired seven dissolute youths who were skilled in pursuing women. He instructed them to make Ilatiputra proficient in worldly matters and assured them that he would bear any expenses incurred. The youths readily agreed. The father then told Ilatiputra that these new companions wished to befriend him and advised him to spend time with them to become skilled in worldly dealings.

On an outing to a garden filled with blooming flowers, Ilatiputra saw a beautiful young daughter of a dancer named Lankika. He was immediately smitten, apparently due to a connection from a past life. The dissolute youths noticed his infatuation and saw it as an opportunity to impress the father and earn rewards. They told Ilatiputra that his father would worry if he stayed away, and he was taken home.

Distraught and unable to find peace, Ilatiputra was questioned by his father. He remained silent, only sighing heavily. The father then summoned the dissolute youths, who explained that Ilatiputra had fallen in love with Lankika's daughter after seeing her dance. The father, regretting his decision to associate his son with these companions, was distraught. He offered to find a bride from a respectable merchant family, but Ilatiputra insisted that his heart was set on the dancer's daughter, comparing his attachment to that of a donkey preferring a poisonous plant over a sweet grape.

Fearing his son might commit suicide if his desires were not met, the father approached the dancer Lankika and asked for his daughter's hand in marriage. Lankika agreed, but on the condition that Ilatiputra first join their troupe, learn their art of dance, and earn money through it. Though saddened, the father accepted due to his fear for his son's life.

Ilatiputra, eager to marry the dancer's daughter, began practicing dance with great enthusiasm. He quickly became skilled. Lankika then urged him to earn money by performing, promising him the daughter in marriage upon success. To earn money, Ilatiputra, along with Lankika's troupe, traveled to the city of Benaras. There, they informed the king of their intention to showcase their dancing skills. The king agreed to watch, promising a generous reward if he was pleased.

During the performance, Ilatiputra danced exceptionally well, captivating everyone. The king, however, was particularly attracted to Lankika's daughter, who was also dancing. The king, consumed by desire, asked Ilatiputra to dance on a bamboo pole. Ilatiputra complied. The king then asked him to dance in the air without any support. Ilatiputra again obeyed. When he was asked to dance on the pole for the fourth time, Ilatiputra, realizing the king's lustful intentions towards his beloved and his desire to eliminate him, reflected on the destructive nature of desire and the folly of his father's advice. He felt ashamed for falling prey to such worldly attachments, especially when he had a virtuous wife in his own palace.

While contemplating this, Ilatiputra saw some ascetics receiving alms from a virtuous woman. The ascetics, with their senses under control, did not even look at the woman. Witnessing their detachment, Ilatiputra realized their greatness and his own downfall for being infatuated with a girl from a low caste.

As Ilatiputra stood on the bamboo pole, reflecting with a heart filled with renunciation, he attained Kevala Jnana (omniscience). Immediately, he transformed into a monk with divine attire and sat on a golden lotus, astonishing the king and others. He delivered a sermon emphasizing the rarity of human birth and the importance of practicing charity, virtue, penance, and devotion to attain heavenly and liberated bliss.

The king inquired how Ilatiputra had become attracted to the dancer's daughter. Ilatiputra explained that in a past life, a Brahmin named Madan and his wife Mohini, who were deeply devoted to each other, heard religious discourses and became ascetics. However, Mohini, driven by pride in her caste, praised her Brahmin lineage. She died without confessing this pride to her gurus and went to heaven. Madan also died and went to heaven. When their celestial lives ended, Madan was reborn as him, the merchant's son in Ilavardhana, and Mohini was reborn as Lankika's daughter due to her caste pride. This past-life connection was the reason for his attachment.

Hearing this, the king, the dancer, and others were filled with renunciation and embraced Jainism. They all eventually took diksha (initiation into monkhood), performed severe penances, attained Kevala Jnana, and attained liberation.

The book concludes with the statement that this story, originally part of "Katha Kosh" by Shubhsheel Gani, was re-edited and published by Shravak Hiralal Hansraj for the welfare of himself and others.