Sthulabhadra and the Courtesan Kosha

Dadi: "Guddu, can a person completely lost in worldly pleasures become a great saint?"

Guddu: "That seems really hard. If you're already lost, how do you find your way back?"

Dadi: "Tonight I'll tell you about Sthulabhadra - a young man who wasted twelve years of his life with a courtesan, and then became one of the most revered saints in Jain tradition."

Guddu: "Twelve years? That's a long time to be lost."

Dadi: "It is. Sthulabhadra was born with every advantage - his father was the prime minister during the Maurya dynasty. He was handsome, intelligent, educated, destined for greatness. But then he met Kosha."

Guddu: "Who was she?"

Dadi: "A beautiful dancer in the city. Sthulabhadra became completely obsessed with her. He abandoned his family, his responsibilities, his future - everything. For twelve years, he lived in her house, lost in sensual pleasures."

Guddu: "That must have been so disappointing for his family."

Dadi: "His father continued serving as minister while his son wasted away. Then tragedy struck - his father died."

Guddu: "What happened?"

Dadi: "The news hit Sthulabhadra like a thunderbolt. He looked at himself in the mirror and saw what he had become - marked by years of indulgence, having achieved nothing, having been nothing to his dying father."

Guddu: "That must have been awful."

Dadi: "Questions flooded his mind: What is the purpose of life? What is the meaning of death? Who am I really? He suddenly saw that everything he had been chasing - pleasure, beauty, passion - was temporary. Kosha would grow old. His youth was already fading. Everything he valued was slipping away."

Guddu: "Did he change right then?"

Dadi: "Yes! He left Kosha's house and sought out a great Jain teacher named Acharya Sambhutivijay. He surrendered completely and became a monk, renouncing everything from his former life."

Guddu: "That must have been a big shock for Kosha."

Dadi: "It was. But the story gets more interesting. After years of spiritual practice, the ultimate test came."

Guddu: "What test?"

Dadi: "During the monsoon season, Jain monks must stay in one place for four months. Some monks choose difficult locations - cremation grounds, forests - to test their detachment. Sthulabhadra made a surprising request."

Guddu: "What did he ask?"

Dadi: "He asked to spend the monsoon at Kosha's picture gallery - the very place where he had wasted twelve years! The most tempting, luxurious place from his old life."

Guddu: "*surprised* He wanted to go BACK there?"

Dadi: "His guru understood - this was the final test. Could Sthulabhadra face his greatest temptation and remain unmoved? He gave permission."

Guddu: "What happened?"

Dadi: "For four months, Sthulabhadra stayed in Kosha's residence. She hadn't forgotten him. She still loved him. She tried everything to win him back - her beauty, her memories of their past, all the arts she knew."

Guddu: "Did he give in?"

Dadi: "*shaking head* Not even for a moment. The place that once controlled him now had no power at all. He spent his time in meditation and spiritual practice, treating Kosha with kindness but remaining completely detached."

Guddu: "How is that possible?"

Dadi: "Because he had truly transformed. He wasn't the same person who had walked into her house twelve years before. The desires that had enslaved him were gone - not suppressed, but dissolved."

Guddu: "What happened to Kosha?"

Dadi: "Watching his extraordinary self-control, SHE began to change. She realized that the pleasures she offered were nothing compared to the peace he had found. She gave up her old life and became a spiritual practitioner herself, taking vows from Sthulabhadra."

Guddu: "He converted the person who had tempted him!"

Dadi: "When he returned to his teacher, the guru said only two words: 'Dushkar, dushkar!' - 'Most difficult, most difficult!' Sthulabhadra had conquered desire at its very source."

Guddu: "Dadi, what's the lesson here?"

Dadi: "So many lessons, beta. First, it's never too late to change. Twelve years of mistakes didn't define Sthulabhadra's future. Second, real transformation means facing your temptations, not running from them. Third, when you truly change, you can help change others too."

Guddu: "Like how Kosha changed because of him?"

Dadi: "Exactly. His transformation was so complete that instead of pulling him down, his past temptation was lifted up. That's the power of genuine spiritual growth."

Guddu: "I hope if I ever make mistakes, I can fix them like he did."

Dadi: "You can, beta. No matter how far you stray, the path back is always there. But here's the secret: you have to want to change more than you want to stay comfortable. Sthulabhadra was willing to face his greatest weakness. That's what made him great."

Guddu: "*yawning* Goodnight, Dadi. May I always find my way back if I get lost."

Dadi: "And may you have teachers as wise as Sambhutivijay to guide you. Goodnight, my seeker."