CHARUDATT

Shreshthi Bhanu was a resident of the city of Champa. His wife’s name was Subhadra. They had a son named Charudatt.
Charudatt was so fond of reading from his infancy that he would care for nothing else. He married his cousin Mrigavati. But even marriage did not change his habit. As Mrigavati lit the lamp in her bedroom, Charudatt would sit down with a book and spend the whole night reading it. He did not care for his wife’s presence, nor did he seek her company.
Bhanu and his wife were very much perturbed by the abnormal behavior of their son. They tried various remedies, all without success. Charudatt remained an inveterate bookworm and would care for nothing else in life. After much consideration, his father thought of engaging a public woman to change his son.
It is always a bad thing to indulge in one bad habit to uproot another. this may rid you of one to make you a slave to the other. But in his anxiety to cure his son of his reading habit, Shreshthi Bhanu never looked at this aspect. A well-known harlot, Vasantsena, was engaged for the purpose, and very soon she was successful. Now the young man was having a good time in her company.
Thus twelve years rolled by. During these years, a vast sum of money flowed out from the merchant’s coffer to reach the hands of the harlot. The merchant was now in severe financial strain. The continued absence of the son from home was an additional pain. But Charudatt would not care to look at his father’s business, nor was he ready to give up the company of the woman. The merchant and his wife died of broken hearts.
A harlot would care for a man only so long as he is a source of her earning, and she would throw him out as soon as he went dry. The relation between the two is not based on love, but on money, and so it does not take time to terminate.
Charudatt was penniless, so Vasantsena turned him out of her abode. The young man returned home and saw it in a bad state. His parents were dead, and the mansion was about to crumble down. Affluence was no longer there. It was all a reign of poverty in his one-time prosperous home. This was a great shock for the young man. He sat down on the steps and bewailed for the great misfortune.
When Mrigavati heard the sob, she came out to find her own husband, and she took him in. She consoled him with sweet words, made him take a bath and served him food.
After he was somewhat consoled, she said: “There is no use in lamenting over what is past. I have some ornaments. You may raise money with them and start some business. The goddess of fortune smiles on one who is enterprising.”
To this, Charudatt agreed. He raised a small amount of money and started for another city in the company of his maternal uncle. They bought some cotton, loaded it on a cart and turned their steps toward Tamralipti. On the way, the merchandise was lost in a fire. They had no more money. The uncle thought, Charudatt is very unlucky. “If I go with him, I won’t have a better turn in my fortune.” So he parted company with him and went on his own way.
Charudatt was now without means of support. Even his fortune would not stand by him. Wandering alone, he reached the city of Priyangu. There, a merchant named Surendradatt, who happened to be an acquaintance of his father, who recognized him and took him to his house. There he stayed for some time.
One day, he found that some people of the city were preparing to go on a voyage, Charudatt also decided to go with them. Surendradatt discouraged him, but he would not listen.
The ship with Charudatt and the others on board cast anchor at an island where all the merchants did their business. Charudatt also did the same and earned a sizable amount. He was now anxious to return home, so he started back with the money he had earned.
Luck disfavored him again. The ship was caught in a storm on the sea and was lost. With it went down Charudatt’s entire fortune. He saved himself with great difficulty by swimming ashore with the support of a floating plank. He now reached the outskirts of the city of Rajpur, where he sat under a tree, taking stock of his life.
A traveler was passing by that way. Charudatt saw his brilliant face and felt that this must be some uncommon personality. He folded his palms and wished him a good day. The traveler stopped to look at him. When he saw him in a pitiable condition, he said: “Why do you look so sad and downcast, young man ?” Charudatt narrated his story.
The traveler took pity on him and took him along with him. Charudatt expected no danger from him. Danger, however, comes without giving notice, and it comes in a manner and at a time when it is least expected.
After they had covered some distance, the two reached a dense forest. There was a hill in it, and there was a cave in the hill. The man opened the door of the cave, and the two entered into it. As they proceeded inside the cave, they reached a well which was emitting a very foul smell. The man handed over to Charudatt a hollow gourd and said: “I shall lower you inside the well. You fill this up with the juice that is stored inside and pass it on to me. Then I shall take you out.”
The man lowered Charudatt into the well. Now he was near the juice. As he extended his hand to fill up the gourd, he heard a voice from inside the well, “Gentleman, please don’t take not juice.”
Charudatt replied: “Sir, whoever you may be, I am to inform you that I am Bhanu Shreshthi’s son. At the bidding of a fellow traveler, I have come down to take the juice from this well. You will excuse my disturbing you and be good enough to permit me to take a gourd full of juice.”
The voice replied: “I was a sea-roving merchant myself. Once I was a victim of a shipwreck and saved myself by swimming ashore. I met this same traveler, who induced me to come with him. After we had reached here, he lowered me into this well. Then he took the gourd full of juice from my hand, but he dropped me into the well. Now it is impossible to get out. This juice is dangerous to the body, and my end may not be very far off. That’s why I warned you not to touch it. Give me the gourd. I shall fill it and pass it on to you.”
Charudatt gave him the gourd, which the man filled up and returned. The traveler now pulled up the rope. The traveler said to Charudatt: “Give me the gourd first. Then I shall take you out.” Charudatt said: “You have to take me out with the gourd.”
The traveler was vexed at these words. He took both of them out, but he pushed both back into the well. But he was cautious because of the prior warning. He caught the support of the earthen ring inside and stood halfway from the juice. But, as there was no possibility of his getting out, he started brooding over his past. As he did it, he felt very bad.
But time is the best healer, and after some time, his agony had somewhat abated. It occurred to him that it must be all a play of Karmas accumulated in the past, and it was not known what other hardships were still in store. He went on brooding and at last he thought of giving a turn to his life by changing its course in the spiritual direction. He then thought of the Arihantas, the Siddhas, the Munis and the Religion as taught by the Kevalis. He took the vow to desist from sinful acts, went on fast and became immersed in meditation.
The man who was already in the well said the following soothing words to console him: “On the third day from today, a cow will come here to drink from this well. If, at that time, you can catch hold of her tail very fast, there may be an escape for you.” This gave a ray of hope to Charudatt, and he became more alert not to miss the chance. After passing this information, the man inside the well breathed his last.
On the third day, the cow came there. Having drunk from the well, as the cow was about to return, Charudatt caught hold of her tail and jumped out. He sat for a while to chant the holy Navakar Mantra.
Hardly had he gone a little far when a wild buffalo chased him. Charudatt ascended a hill. The buffalo sat on the passage waiting for him to come down. But good luck prevailing, a huge cobra came out of a cave in the hill and swallowed the buffalo. Charudatt now came down.
After he had crossed through the forest, he reached a village. There he met a friend of his father, Rudradatt, who himself was a merchant. Charudatt stayed with him for some time.
But Charudatt’s luck was still in ferment and would not allow him to settle down. Now he and Rudradatt prepared a plan of going to the land of gold. No sooner was the plan ready than the two set out.
They crossed a turbulent river and reached the region where the way ahead was extremely dangerous for walking on foot. Besides, walking didn’t give them speed. So they bought two big he-goats and continued their journey on their backs, but the land of gold was still very far, so Rudradatt said: “If we proceed at this speed, we shall not reach our destination for a very long time. We should devise some means of reaching there early.”
Both started thinking. Soon, however, Rudradatt hit upon an idea. He said: “Well, I have an idea. Let us kill our goats and use their hides to prepare two bags. Then we get inside and lie on the ground. Some big Bharunda bird, greedy for flesh, may pick us up and drop us up in the land of gold. That will make our task very easy.”
The plan did not, however, appeal much to Charudatt. He said: “We passed through a dense forest on the backs of these goats. Should we now kill them ? Life is as much dear to them as to us. These animals too have a feeling of pain. So we should give up the idea of killing them.”
Rudradatt responded: “Well, I don’t understand your mind. These goats are neither our parents nor our brothers. In fact, they are nothing to us. They are meant for our use, and we need to give priority to our own requirements without bothering about what happens to them.”
Charudatt protested again, but Rudradatt said firmly: “I have decided to kill my goat.” No sooner had he said it than he did it. Then he took out its hide.
Now, turning to Charudatt, he said: “You can’t do it, so let me do it for you.” On hearing this, Charudatt came to the goat and said: “Poor animal ! In your previous birth, you must have killed some animal, and so you are going to be slaughtered now. This is the time for you now to renounce the Ashravas (inflow of Karmas) that bind the soul and take refuge unto the Arihantas, the Siddhas, the Munis, and the Religion taught by the Kevalis. Seek forgiveness of all living beings, give up anger, and cultivate a feeling of fraternity to all.” He uttered the holy Navakar Mantra into the goat’s ears.
Rudradatt killed the goat and used the two hides to prepare two leather bags. He entered into one of them and made Charudatt enter into the other. Then they lay on the ground taking their chance.
Now, everything went as expected. Two Bharunda birds descended and picked up the two goatskins in their claws and flew away in the sky. After they had covered some distance, they came across a few more birds of their species. A quarrel ensued between them, in consequence of which the bags dropped down. Luckily, however, Charudatt’s bag fell into a lake, so he remained unhurt. He now tore the bag and came out.
When favorable Karma is about to come up, it brings hope in the midst of darkness. Charudatt’s unfavorable Karma was in the exit phase now.
While wandering in the forest, he reached the top of a hill, where he saw a Muni who was exposing himself to the blazing sun with his arms stretched upwards. Charudatt sat down near him.
Having finished his Kayotsarga (meditation), the Muni said: “Who are you and why have you come here ? This is an island named Kumbhakund, and this hill is named Kakkoda. No one can come here except the Devs, the Vidyadhars, and the flying Munis who are gifted with special powers. There is a deep sea all around this island. How did you cross it ?”
Charudatt narrated his story. On hearing his account, the Muni said, “In this mundane life, difficulties are abound, not well-being. Not even the king of the Devs is capable of transgressing Karmas without experiencing its impact. It will be advisable for you to prevent the influx of Karmas.”
Just at that time, two persons descended there from an air-chariot. They were the Muni’s sons in the worldly life, both Vidyadhars, now residents of the Vaitadhya hills, and both had come there to pay obeisance and homage to their father.
When Charudatt and these two were in the midst of a conversation, they saw another air-chariot rushing through the air. It was so bright that it gave light to all directions. The air-chariot descended onto the hill and from it alighted a Dev, attended by many others. To the surprise of all, he first paid obeisance and homage to Charudatt and then to the Muni.
Enlightening all, the incoming Dev said: “This Shravak (pointing to Charudatt) is my spiritual master. It is because of his great favor that I have attained this divine status. To me, therefore, in matters of paying obeisance, he is Number One.”
When the Vidyadhars asked how this came to be so, he said: “In my previous birth, I was a goat and he was my master. Now, I was slaughtered by his companion, but before he could kill me, this man did his best to help my spirit and chanted the holy Navakar Mantra into my ears, by dint of which I enjoy this status today.”
Having said that the Dev paid him homage again and flew away. The Vidyadhars, on their return flight, restored Charudatt to his city. But before he departed, on the suggestion of the Muni, Charudatt took the vow of imposing zone restriction on his movement from the time he reach his home city, for he confessed that, for want of a vow like this, he had suffered much in life.
On the return journey, Charudatt spent a few days in the company of the Vidyadhars on the Vaitadhya hills and accepted the hand of a Vidyadhara damsel. Then, back in his city, Charudatt, in the company of his two wives, spent the rest of his life happily and worthily, fulfilling the vow he had imposed on himself.