Mruganka Charitram - Book Summary

Here's a comprehensive summary of the Jain text "Mruganka Charitram" by Ruddhichandraji, based on the provided pages:

Book Title: Mruganka Charitram Author: Ruddhichandraji Publisher: Shravak Hiralal Hansraj Catalog Link: https://jainqq.org/explore/036453/1

This text, "Mruganka Charitram" (The Life Story of Mruganka), is a Jain narrative composed by Ruddhichandraji, translated into Gujarati, and published by Shravak Hiralal Hansraj. The book begins with auspicious invocations to Lord Parshvanatha and Goddess Saraswati, followed by the author's humble prayer to his guru to help him write this popular story.

Setting and Initial Characters:

The story is set in the Bharata region of Jambudvipa, specifically in the beautiful and populous city of Varanasi, known for its fortresses, moats, wells, and lakes.
Varanasi is described as a prosperous city adorned with gardens, diverse communities (18 varnas), women, eloquent speakers, elephants, horses, merchants, ascetics, and physicians.
The king of this city is Makaradhwaj, a ruler renowned for his beauty that surpassed Kamadeva and his valor that eclipsed the sun. He is just, devoted to Dharma, Artha, and Kama, knowledgeable in scriptures and weaponry, and his kingdom is free from thieves, imprisonment, disease, sorrow, fear, and internal strife.

Key Figures and Their Families:

King Makaradhwaj: A righteous and powerful king.
Minister Subuddhi: The king's wise, learned, and perceptive chief minister.
Queen Madanvallabha: The king's beloved queen, possessing all virtues and captivating beauty.
Prince Rupasundar: The son of King Makaradhwaj and Queen Madanvallabha, known for his beauty, virtues, and mastery of arts and sciences.
Merchant Kusumasar: A wealthy and generous merchant in Varanasi, known as a giver, comparable to Kubera in wealth, adept in religious practices, and handsome like Kamadeva.
Wife of Kusumasar, Svayamprabha: A beautiful and accomplished wife, possessing gentle limbs like a plantain stem and expertise in arts.
Mruganka: The son of Kusumasar and Svayamprabha. He is described as exceptionally beautiful, with eyes that conquer deer, a gait that rivals an intoxicated elephant, and a face that outshines the moon.
Merchant Dhananjay: Another prominent merchant in the city.
Wife of Dhananjay, Dhanavati: His beautiful wife.
Daughter of Dhananjay, Padmavati: A virtuous daughter with eyes like lotus flowers.

The Early Friendship and a Misunderstanding:

Mruganka and Padmavati both study arts under their gurus. A deep friendship, like milk and water, develops between them.
On a particular day, when Padmavati is alone in her study, Mruganka, remembering her, feels drawn to her.
While on his way, Mruganka meets Dhananjay, who gives him eighty thousand copper coins (kardakas) for his daughter Padmavati.
Mruganka, on his way back to Padmavati, eats the coins (purchasing a type of sweet called "kushmandapak") and, when asked by Padmavati, explains that he ate them.
Padmavati, upset that Mruganka ate without sharing, lectures him on the importance of sharing in friendship. She tells him that if she had the coins, she would have made earrings.
Mruganka feels hurt by her words, realizing that their friendship might not be considered deeply by her. He vows to teach her a lesson when the time is right.
Despite this, their friendship and learning continue, and they both become skilled in various arts through their devotion to their teachers.

Mruganka's Marriage and Departure:

Mruganka grows into a young man. His father, Makaradhwaj, looks for a suitable bride for him.
He sees Padmavati, recognizes her virtues and accomplishments, and requests her hand from Dhananjay. Dhananjay agrees, and a wedding date is set.
Mruganka and Padmavati are married with grand celebrations and brought to his home. Mruganka is happy that his desire is fulfilled.
One night, Mruganka remembers Padmavati's words from their childhood. He decides to leave her, believing this will teach her a lesson about her earlier insensitivity. He thinks that leaving her now will allow her to experience the consequence of her words.
He considers leaving a woman without her husband to be akin to an unjust killing.
The next morning, Mruganka, with his father's permission, prepares for a trading journey. He advises Padmavati to stay home, protect her chastity, and remain devoted to her parents and Gurus.
Padmavati, however, insists on accompanying him, stating that it is not right for a wife to stay home without her husband and that she will not leave his side until her last breath.
Mruganka, along with Padmavati, bows to his parents and boards a ship for his journey.

The Journey, Separation, and Padmavati's Ordeal:

Mruganka and Padmavati travel by ship, enjoying each other's company.
Their ship reaches a demon island. Mruganka stops the ship to explore.
The passengers disembark, engaging in various activities like singing, playing, fetching water, eating, and bathing.
Mruganka and Padmavati also explore the forest, and Mruganka sleeps in a pleasure pavilion.
Waking up, Mruganka remembers Padmavati's earlier words and is filled with anger.
In the middle of the night, he attaches eighty thousand copper coins to Padmavati's sari, along with a note stating he filled his stomach with them but she should use them for ornaments.
He then leaves her, goes to the ship, and cries out, claiming Padmavati has been taken by a demon.
Padmavati wakes up and is distressed to find Mruganka gone. She recalls their parents' consent to their marriage and believes he must be on the ship.
When she reaches the ship, she finds neither the ship nor Mruganka. Devastated, she falls to the ground.
Padmavati begins to weep, lamenting her separation from her husband, feeling lost and unsupported. She reflects on the emptiness of her life without him.
She finds the coins and the note. Realizing Mruganka's motive, she is angry that he ate alone and didn't share. She feels he has wronged her by not leaving any food for her and questions what further lesson she needs to teach him. She wishes she had the coins to make earrings.
Mruganka, witnessing this, feels regret, thinking that Padmavati doesn't truly value their friendship. He decides to teach her a lesson when she becomes his.
Despite the misunderstanding, both continue their studies and become proficient in arts.

Padmavati's Transformation and Trials:

Padmavati, left behind, becomes aware of the situation. She finds the coins.
She realizes that Mruganka's actions are driven by her earlier words. She blesses him, wishing him well despite his departure. She vows to teach him a lesson when they meet again.
She creates an idol of the first Tirthankara, Adinatha, and worships it. She chants the Navkar mantra for protection.
She ties a flag to the mountaintop so that anyone passing by might see it.
A merchant sees the flag and stops his ship. He climbs the mountain and finds Padmavati, who explains she is a merchant's wife separated due to a shipwreck.
The merchant, attracted by her beauty, invites her to accompany him. Padmavati agrees, leaving the mountain.
The merchant's mind is swayed by lust. The divine guardian goddess, upon seeing this, destroys his ship.
Padmavati, clinging to a plank, is saved by an elephant who takes her to the heavens.
She lands in a Vidyadhara's (celestial being) airplane, and the Vidyadhara king makes advances towards her.
Padmavati, through her wise words, pacifies him. Impressed by her virtues, he grants her three divine powers: invisibility, the ability to destroy others' powers, and shape-shifting.
She chooses to be transported to the city of Susumar.
Using the shape-shifting power, she transforms into a young man named Sahasranka and takes up residence with a florist.
People flock to Sahasranka to learn scriptures. He instructs them, impressing everyone with his knowledge.

Sahasranka's Actions and the King's Court:

Sahasranka, now a male guise, gives the florist some coins and instructs her to bring peacock feathers.
He makes a fan with the feathers, inscribing "Narbrahma" on it, and instructs the florist to sell it for 516 gold coins.
The fan attracts attention, but no one buys it until a curious person reports it to King Narbrahma.
The King, intrigued, summons Sahasranka. Seeing the fan with his name, the king is pleased and gives Sahasranka double the asking price.
The King learns Sahasranka is a foreigner and asks him to teach his sons. Sahasranka agrees and is given a palace.
He teaches the princes various subjects, including poetry, ethics, philosophy, and logic.
The princes become skilled in arts and are presented back to the king. The King, impressed, engages Sahasranka to teach them.

Mruganka's Return and Recognition:

Meanwhile, Mruganka returns from Sinhala island.
He lands in Susumar and learns that his wife Padmavati is there, in the form of Sahasranka.
Mruganka visits Sahasranka, who, recognizing her husband, greets him respectfully.
Sahasranka (Padmavati) explains that she had to leave him due to his earlier misunderstanding and that she had to undertake these measures. She apologizes for his coins being taken as tax.
Mruganka, remembering his earlier actions, is remorseful.
Sahasranka (Padmavati) then reveals herself and they are reunited.

The Resolution and Mruganka's Rule:

The King, Narbrahma, upon learning of their reunion and recognizing Mruganka's capabilities, decides to give him his daughter and half his kingdom.
Mruganka accepts and rules his kingdom with valor, supported by his ministers.
Sage Matisagar visits the kingdom. Mruganka, showing great respect, meets him.
Mruganka asks the Sage about the cause of the loss and regaining of his wealth and fortune.
The Sage narrates the past life story of Mruganka and Padmavati: They were Hanspal and Lilavati, a Kshatriya couple. Hanspal went abroad for wealth but found none. On his return, he found hidden treasure. Lilavati, after feeding a monk, felt resentment, which led to their separation and rebirth in lower states. Their good deeds and mutual repentance brought them back together.
The Sage explains that Mruganka's early actions (eating without sharing) caused misfortune, while his good deeds and Padmavati's piety led to their reunion and prosperity.
Hearing this, Mruganka dedicates himself to righteous deeds, including renovating temples and performing religious ceremonies.
The Sage predicts that Mruganka and Padmavati will attain heaven and then human birth, eventually achieving liberation.

Conclusion:

The story concludes with the blessings from the lineage of gurus, including Vijayasen Surishwar and Vijayadev Surishwar, and a mention of the book's purification and compilation by Udayachandraji. The final verses are a tribute to the composer, Ruddhichandraji, and the work's purpose of providing a narrative for studying the life of Mruganka.