Shrenika Raja Ane Chelna Rani

Here's a comprehensive summary of the Jain text "Shrenika Raja ane Chelna Rani" in English:

This text, from the "Stories from the Time of Lord Mahavir" series published by the JAINA Education Committee, recounts the story of King Shrenika of Magadha and Queen Chelna.

The story begins by introducing Queen Chelna as the beautiful princess of King Chetak of Vaishali. King Shrenika of Magadha saw a painting of Chelna and fell deeply in love with her. Chelna also visited Magadha and, upon seeing Shrenika, fell in love with him as well, leading to their swift marriage.

Queen Chelna was a devout follower of Jainism, while King Shrenika adhered to Buddhism. Despite Shrenika's generally generous and open-minded nature, he was troubled by Chelna's devotion to Jain monks. He believed Jain monks were hypocritical and could not truly practice the self-control and non-violence described in Jain philosophy. He thought their inner peace and equanimity were merely superficial. This caused Queen Chelna great distress.

To test the equanimity and gentleness of Jain monks, King Shrenika once went hunting. He encountered a Jain monk named Yamadhar in deep meditation. Shrenika unleashed his hunting dogs upon the meditating monk, but the monk remained undisturbed. Astonished by the monk's composure, Shrenika, believing the monk had used magic, began shooting arrows at him. However, the arrows missed their mark, unsettling Shrenika. In a fit of anger, Shrenika draped a dead snake around the monk's neck and returned to his palace.

Upon returning, Shrenika recounted the entire incident to Queen Chelna. The Queen was deeply saddened and took the King back to where the monk Yamadhar was meditating. They discovered that ants and other insects had crawled onto the monk's body due to the dead snake, yet he remained completely still. The King and Queen witnessed the monk's immense capacity for endurance. Queen Chelna carefully removed the insects and the dead snake from the monk's body, cleaned the wounds caused by the ants, and applied a sandalwood balm.

After some time, Monk Yamadhar opened his eyes and blessed both the King and the Queen, showing no distinction between the King who had caused him suffering and the Queen who had tried to alleviate it. Witnessing the monk's ability to disregard pain while in a meditative state, King Shrenika was profoundly impressed. He conceded that Jain monks were indeed beyond attachments and aversions.

Consequently, King Shrenika, along with Queen Chelna, became devout followers of Jainism and Lord Mahavir.

The text concludes with a moral lesson: If one is unable to perform rigorous penance and devotion, one should not doubt the willpower and devotion of those who are more religious. Instead, one should hold such individuals in high regard. It is more beneficial to serve and help such people rather than to cause them pain or hardship, as this action will prevent negative karma, foster acceptance of others' virtues, and encourage appreciation for them.