इन्द्रिय- संयम

मथुराकी सर्वश्रेष्ठ नर्तकी, सौन्दर्यकी मूर्ति वासवदत्ताकी दृष्टि अपने वातायनसे राजपथपर पड़ी और जैसे वहीं रुक गयी। पीत-चीवर ओढ़े, भिक्षापात्र लिये एक मुण्डितमस्तक युवा भिक्षु नगरमें आ रहा था। नगरके प्रतिष्ठित धनी-मानी लोग एवं राजपुरुषतक जिसकी चाटुकारी किया करते थे, जिसके राजभवन जैसे प्रासादकी देहलीपर चक्कर काटते रहते थे, वह नर्तकी भिक्षुको देखते ही उन्मत्तप्राय हो गयी। इतना सौन्दर्य! ऐसा अद्भुत तेज! इतना सौम्य मुख! – नर्तकी दो क्षण तो ठिठकी देखती रह गयी और फिर जितनी शीघ्रता उससे हो सकी, उतनी शीघ्रतासे दौड़ती हुई सीढ़ियाँ उतरकर अपने द्वारपर आयी।

‘भन्ते!’ नर्तकीने भिक्षुको पुकारा ।

‘भद्रे!’ भिक्षु आकर मस्तक झुकाये उसके सम्मुख खड़ा हो गया और उसने अपना भिक्षापात्र आगे बढ़ा दिया।’आप ऊपर पधारें!’ नर्तकीका मुख लज्जासे लाल हो उठा था; किंतु वह अपनी बात कह गयी – ‘यह मेरा भवन, मेरी सब सम्पत्ति और स्वयं मैं अब आपकी हूँ। मुझे आप स्वीकार करें।’

‘मैं फिर तुम्हारे पास आऊँगा ।’ भिक्षुने मस्तक ऊपर बड़ी बेधक दृष्टिसे नर्तकीकी ओर देखा और पता नहीं क्या सोच लिया उसने ।

‘कब ?’ नर्तकीने हर्षोत्फुल्ल होकर पूछा ।

‘समय आनेपर !’ भिक्षु यह कहते हुए आगे बढ़ गया था। वह जबतक दीख पड़ा, नर्तकी द्वारपर खड़ी उसीकी ओर देखती रही।

मथुरा नगरके द्वारसे बाहर यमुनाजीके मार्गमें एक स्त्री भूमिपर पड़ी थी। उसके वस्त्र अत्यन्त मैले और फटे हुए थे। उस स्त्रीके सारे शरीरमें घाव हो रहे थे । पीव और रक्तसे भरे उन घावोंसे दुर्गन्ध आ रही थी।उधरसे निकलते समय लोग अपना मुख दूसरी ओर कर लेते थे और नाक दबा लेते थे। यह नारी थी नर्तकी वासवदत्ता ! उसके दुराचारने उसे इस भयंकर रोगसे ग्रस्त कर दिया था । सम्पत्ति नष्ट हो गयी थी। अब वह निराश्रित मार्गपर पड़ी थी।

सहसा एक भिक्षु उधरसे निकला और वह उस दुर्दशाग्रस्त नारीके समीप खड़ा हो गया। उसने पुकारा – ‘वासवदत्ता ! मैं आ गया हूँ । ‘ ‘कौन ?’ उस नारीने बड़े कष्टसे भिक्षुकी ओरदेखनेका प्रयत्न किया।

‘भिक्षु उपगुप्त !’ भिक्षु बैठ गया वहीं मार्गमें और उसने उस नारीके घाव धोने प्रारम्भ कर दिये।

‘तुम अब आये ? अब मेरे पास क्या धरा है। मेरा

यौवन, सौन्दर्य, धन आदि सभी कुछ तो नष्ट हो गया।’ नर्तकीके नेत्रोंसे अश्रुधार चल पड़ी।

‘मेरे आनेका समय तो अभी हुआ है।’ भिक्षुने उसे धर्मका शान्तिदायी उपदेश देना प्रारम्भ किया। ये भिक्षुश्रेष्ठ ही देवप्रिय सम्राट् अशोकके गुरु हुए।

The vision of Vasavadatta, the best dancer of Mathura, the idol of beauty, fell on the Rajpath with her air and as if stopped there. Wearing yellow clothes, a young monk with a shaved head was coming to the city with a beggar. The prestigious rich people of the city and the royal men, who used to sycophant, who used to go around on the threshold of whose palace like a palace, that dancer became mad at the sight of the monk. Such beauty! Such amazing speed! Such a gentle face! The dancer kept staring for two moments and then as quickly as she could, ran down the stairs and came to her door.
‘Bhante!’ The dancer called out to the monk.
‘Bhadre!’ The monk came and bowed his head and stood in front of him and he extended his beggar forward. ‘You come up!’ The dancer’s face turned red with shame; But she said her words – ‘This is my house, all my property and I myself are now yours. You accept me.
‘I will come to you again.’ The monk looked at the dancer with a piercing look on his head and did not know what he was thinking.
‘When ?’ the dancer asked gleefully.
‘When the time comes!’ Saying this the monk went ahead. As long as he was seen, the dancer standing at the door kept looking at him.
Outside the gate of Mathura city, a woman was lying on the ground on the way of Yamunaji. His clothes were very dirty and torn. There were wounds all over the body of that woman. Foul smell was emanating from those wounds filled with pus and blood. While leaving there, people used to turn their faces to the other side and hold their noses. This woman was the dancer Vasavadatta! His misbehavior had made him suffer from this terrible disease. The property was destroyed. Now she was lying on the destitute road.
Suddenly a monk came out from there and he stood near that plighted woman. He called out – ‘Vasavadatta! I have arrived . ‘ ‘Who ?’ The woman tried with great difficulty to look at the monk.
‘Monk Upagupta!’ The monk sat there on the way and started washing the wounds of the woman.
‘You come now? What land do I have now? My
Youth, beauty, wealth etc. everything has been destroyed. Tears started rolling from the eyes of the dancer.
‘The time has come for me to come.’ The monk started giving him peaceful teachings of Dharma. This great monk became the teacher of the beloved emperor Ashoka.