Mallinatha Bhagwana - Book Summary

Here's a comprehensive summary in English of the provided Jain text about Lord Mallinath:

The text, titled "Mallinatha Bhagwana" by the JAINA Education Committee, details the life and spiritual journey of the 19th Tirthankar, Lord Mallinath.

Early Life and Spiritual Awakening:

The story begins in the city of Vītashoka in Mahāvīdeha on Jambūdvīpa, where King Mahābala ruled. He had six close friends, and their bond was exceptionally strong, with them acting in unison.
One day, the renowned Acharya Dharmaghosha visited Vītashoka. King Mahābala and his friends attended his discourse and were deeply impressed. Mahābala realized the suffering inherent in worldly life and decided to renounce material pleasures. He shared his decision with his friends, and all seven of them took initiation (diksha) under Dharmaghosha.
As ascetics, the seven friends practiced self-control and austerities. Mahābala, in particular, aspired not only for his own liberation but also for the liberation of all beings from suffering. This intense compassion led him to accumulate the Tīrthankara-nāma karma.
After their ascetic practices, upon their death, they attained heavenly pleasures.

Rebirths and the Birth of Mallinath:

After their time in heaven, they were reborn as humans in different locations. At this time, King Kumbha ruled the city of Mithila. His queen, Prabhāvatī, during her pregnancy, experienced auspicious dreams (fourteen dreams according to Digambara tradition, sixteen according to Swetambar). This indicated the incarnation of a Tīrthankara's soul.
In due course, Prabhāvatī gave birth to a beautiful princess named Mallī. (The Digambara tradition believes that Tirthankar Mallinath was born as a male.) A son, Malludīn, was also born to the queen.
The other six friends were reborn as princes in Hastinapur, Ayodhya, Champa, Kashi, Kampilya, and Shravasti. These cities are located in present-day Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

The Artist and the Kings' Desire for Malli:

King Kumbha and Queen Prabhāvatī raised their children with love. Princess Mallī was exceptionally beautiful and captivating, and her brother Malludīn greatly respected her.
King Kumbha arranged for excellent teachers to educate his children in various arts. Princess Mallī excelled in all her studies and became a skilled princess. Prince Malludīn became a capable ruler.
King Kumbha decided to establish an art academy in Mithila and invited renowned artists. One artist from Hastinapur possessed a unique talent and extraordinary power; by looking at a single limb of a person, he could create a perfect likeness. Once, after seeing one of Princess Mallī's toes, he drew a complete, lifelike portrait of her on a wall. Her brother, Malludīn, mistook the portrait for his sister and bowed to it. He was astonished by the artist's ability to capture such intricate details.
However, realizing the potential for misuse of such a powerful skill, the artist's right thumb was severed, and his art was banned by the royal decree to prevent future abuse. This deeply disappointed the artist, who then harbored a desire for revenge.

The Conflict and Malli's Solution:

The enraged artist went to Hastinapur and commissioned a larger-than-life portrait of Princess Mallī from an artist friend, making it even more beautiful. This portrait was presented to the king of Hastinapur (who had been a friend of Princess Mallī in a previous life). The king was so captivated by the portrait that he fell in love with Princess Mallī and decided to marry her.
He sent a marriage proposal to King Kumbha. Similarly, the kings of Ayodhya, Champa, Kashi, Kampilya, and Shravasti, infatuated by Princess Mallī's beauty, also sent marriage proposals to King Kumbha.
King Kumbha found none of these kings worthy of his daughter and rejected their proposals. Angered by the rejections, the six kings declared war on Mithila to win Princess Mallī.
King Kumbha bravely defended his kingdom, but the combined might of the six kings proved too much. He was forced to close the city gates, as facing six kings was a formidable challenge for Mithila.

Princess Mallī's Enlightenment and Renunciation:

Upon learning of the dire situation, Princess Mallī pondered the problem deeply. Through her sixth sense, she realized this situation was connected to her past lives. She recalled her previous existence as Mahābala, and the six kings as her friends. Their deep affection for each other had kept them close.
Princess Mallī resolved to resolve the conflict she had inadvertently caused. She assured her father that she would handle the matter herself.
She devised a plan. In the main hall of the palace, she had six intricately decorated rooms built, each accessible through a separate entrance. Mirrors were strategically placed so that each room's occupant could see into the main hall but not into the other rooms.
Princess Mallī had an exact, lifelike statue of herself made. This hollow statue had an opening in its mouth. The statue was placed in the center of the main hall, and maids were instructed to deposit food into its mouth twice daily, after which the opening would be sealed.
She then informed her father that the six kings could come to meet her. Each king was seated in his designated room. They gazed at Princess Mallī through the mirrors, finding her even more beautiful than before and feeling an intensified love.
Princess Mallī secretly entered the hall and stood behind the statue. She opened the statue's mouth, releasing a foul odor from the accumulated decaying food. The kings, holding cloths to their noses due to the stench, could not bear to stay near what they supposedly loved so dearly.
Princess Mallī then approached them and asked why, despite loving her more than life itself, they couldn't tolerate standing near her. They admitted they couldn't stand the foul smell.
Mallī explained that the food consumed naturally decomposes within the body, creating flesh and blood. She questioned their attachment to such a decaying body and urged them to seek the eternal.
Princess Mallī reminded them of their past lives and their strong friendship. This triggered their past-life memories, and all six kings renounced their worldly desires and embraced the spiritual path.
Princess Mallī also renounced worldly life and went to Sahasrāprāvana for deep meditation. Through severe austerities, she destroyed all her karmas and attained Kevala Jnana (omniscience). She became the 19th Tirthankar of Jainism.
She traveled from village to village, teaching everyone the path to liberation from karma. Finally, she attained Moksha (liberation) on Sammetshikhar mountain.

Theological Interpretation:

The Swetambar Jain sect believes Tirthankar Mallinath was female, while other Tirthankars were male.
However, the text emphasizes that Tirthankar images ultimately represent the qualities of the Arihant, not their physical bodies. Therefore, the physical appearance of all Tirthankar idols is the same, irrespective of gender, as they are vessels for the soul.
Souls that have not achieved liberation from the cycle of birth and death reside in different bodies after death. The physical body, made of skin, bones, and flesh, is perishable. Physical beauty is fleeting and deceptive.
Princess Mallī demonstrated this truth through her statue and the decaying food. The essence of human life is to attain liberation from the cycle of birth and death. One must elevate their life beyond material considerations to achieve spiritual progress and attain Moksha.