Page 7 - Jain Jyotirdhar Chitra Darshan

[7] EMPEROR SANAT KUMAR
(Right Faith - Samyaktva)

Emperor Sanat, in previous birth, was a staunch Jain having
Right Faith.Once a saint (of false faith) got angry on Sanat, as
he did not respect him. The saint with his devotee’s (a king)
help got very hot food served on Sanat Kumar’s back and ate.
Sanat Kumar had to suffer a lot and his back was full of boils.
(1) After this he decided to renounce this materialistic world
and his mortal body and meditated in every direction for 15
days each. Carnivorous birds kept eating flesh from his back,
yet he did not break his meditation. (2) With absolute
equanimity his soul left his body and he became the heavenly
King of Deities, Indra. (3) Later he was reborn as a very
handsome Chakravarti (a great emperor of the whole world),
named Sanat Kumar.Two Deities in the disguise of Brahmins
came to see the handsomeness of Sanat and were spellbound
seeing his beauty while he was bathing. Hearing praise for him,
Sanat became proud of his beauty and asked the Deities to see
him in his grandeur, beauty and glory at his courtyard when he
enthroned. (4) The Brahmins came and all they could see was
a Sanat’s body infected with 16 types of diseases, and they
frowned with disgust. On asking the reason, the Deities said
“Don’t be so proud you ugly and diseased man!!” Immediately
Sanat spat in the spittoon and realized that diseases had
infected him. (5) He immediately renounced the world and
became a monk. But for 6 months repeatedly his family
followed and requested him to return, but Monk Sanat did not
even look at them. (6) He did severe penance for 700 years
with his diseased body, which got completely cured in his
organic matter turning into anti- disease. The same Deities
came in disguised as doctors to cure him. Great Monk Sanat
with his own spit cured his diseased finger and showed them
his lustrous finger. These Deities were amazed at this sight and
the powers of penance. They bowed down in respect. Monk
Sanat said “Diseases are sin killers and hence our friends so,
why stop it?”He fostered Monkshood for 100,000 years and
accomplished welfare of soul. Bravo to his firmness!!