On the northern series of hills in the Vaitadhya mountain range in Bharatkshetra was a town named Surtej, It was like a jewel of Vaitadhya mountain range. King Surtej, a Chakravarti (one who rules 6 khand or the entire universe) ruled this town. His wife queen Vidyunmati was a noble woman with a blemish free character. She conceived a baby boy who was in fact the reincarnation of Dhankumar’s soul from Saudharm heaven. On an auspicious day, the queen gave birth to a baby boy. Celebrating the event with much fan-fare, the King named the child Chitragati.
On the very same Vaitadhya mountains was another town named Shivmandir which at that time was ruled by King Anangsinh. His wife was queen Shashiprabha. She conceived a baby girl who was in turn the reincarnation of Dhanvati’s soul from Saudharm heaven. She was named Ratnavati. Ratnavati, being the only sister amongst a number of brothers, quickly grew up just like how a climber plant grows in a moist environment. She learnt various arts during her childhood and eventually entered into her youth age. Once, her father asked an astrologer: “Who shall be her husband?” The astrologer, after thinking for a bit, replied: “The one who will take away the Khadagratna (the sword) from you and the one on whom, while worshipping in Siddhaytana, the celestial beings will shower flowers, that person, who is like a crown of this land of humans, shall marry your daughter Ratnavati”. The king was overjoyed on listening this and he gifted the astrologer generously before bidding him farewell.
At that time, a king named Sugriv was ruling the city of Chakrapur in Bharat Kshetra. He had a son named Sumitra from wife Yashasvati, and a son named Padma from wife Bhadra. Of them, Sumitra was prudent, humble, full of gratitude and a follower of Jain religion. Padma was of the complete opposite nature. Once, the queen Bhadra, out of affection for her son became jealous of prince Sumitra and driven by an ill intention of seeing her son occupy the throne, poisoned Sumitra. He became unconscious. All the efforts, including that of Garudi Mantra and other Mantras and Tantras, to revive the prince went in vain. It was discovered that it was none other but Bhadra who had poisoned Sumitra and this news spread in the city like a wildfire. Scared of the king and also the humility she would have to face, Bhadra fled from the city and ran away. A pall of gloom descended upon the entire Chakrapur city which was unable to cope with this grief. At that time, a Vidyadhar (a type of clan of humans who have various talents, one of them being the ability to fly in air) named Chitragati who was passing by in the sky noticed this and he got out of his plane. Chitragati was no one but the soul of lord Neminath re-incarnated from heaven. He was moved upon seeing the grief of the people. He came down and revived Sumitra with a sprinkling of water prepared with a special type of herb that he possessed. A deep bonding was established between Sumitra and the compassionate, ever-helpful and the noble Chitragati due to this incident. At the insistence of Sumitra, Chitragati stayed in his kingdom for some time and then left for his own abode.
After a good amount of time had elapsed, Chitragati learn that Sumitra’s sister, who had been married to the king of Kalinga, had been kidnapped. And the person who had kidnapped her was Kamal, the son of King Anangsinh and the brother of Ratnavati. Having learnt this, Chitragati immediately departed for Shivmandir town with his entire battalion. He easily defeated Kamal and then entered into a fierce battle with King Anangsinh. When King Anangsinh invoked the Khadagratna for self-defence, Chitragati very skilfully snatched it away from Anangsinh and then freed the sister of Sumitra from his clutches and immediately left that place and dropped her at her own place. Sumitra, who had by now experienced the meaninglessness of this Sansar, renounced the world and took Diksha under a monk named Suyash, right in the presence of Chitragati. After days of wandering, the monk Sumitra was standing outside some village in Kayotsarg Dhyan (a kind of meditation described in the Jain texts). At that time, his brother Padma arrived there. Out of ill-will for his brother, he took out his arrow and killed him. But, Sumitra remained equanimous even at this time of death. Having died a peaceful death, Sumitra was born as a Samanik Dev in Brahma Devlok (the 8th Devlok). On the other side, as Padma was just about to flee after killing his brother, a snake bit him. He immediately died and went to the 7th hell.
Chitragati was stricken with grief when he heard of Sumitra’s death. He left for a Yatra of Siddhaytan Tirth. At that time, even Raja Anangsinh had come there for Yatra along with his daughter and the entire royal family. Chitragati began worshipping the Lord with immense devotion. At that time, the soul of Sumitra who was born in Devlook, learnt with his Avadhi Gnan (a type of knowledge where one can see both the past and the present directly via the soul) that Chitragati was at Sidhdayatan. He came there and began showering flowers on him. Seeing this, King Anangsinh remembered the words of the astrologer. And he recognized Chitragati as the would-be husband of his daughter and he then went back to his own city. Thereafter, he sent a minister to the King Surtej (the father of Chitragati) asking for his son’s hand for his daughter. Kind Surtej too found them to be an eligible match, gave his approval and got them wedded with a grand celebration. Chitragati began enjoying pleasures with Ratnavati. After some time had passed, King Surtej handed over the reins of his kingdom to Chitragati and he himself renounced the world and took Diksha and finally attained salvation. The souls of Dhandev and Dhandatta in the first Bhav, were the younger siblings of Chitragati in this Bhav and were named Manogati and Chapalgati. Chitragati, along with his siblings and Ratnavati, went for a pilgrimage of Nandishwar and other Tirths. He began listening to the sermons of the Tirthankaras and was always keen to be in the service of the monks. With the passage of time, he too became detached from the world and established his eldest son Purandar on the throne. He then, along with his younger siblings and Ratnavati, who was like his shadow, surrendered to the feet of an Acharya named Damdhar and accepted monkhood. Having followed the conduct of monks flawlessly for the entire life, he finally undertook Padopagam Anshan (a type of an austerity) and peacefully left his mortal body and was reborn as a celestial being in the Mahendra Devlok. Ratnavati and his younger siblings to were born in the same Devlok and there too, they were attached to each other.
