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CHAPTER VI
SRI MAGHAVACAKRAVARTICARITRA
Previous birth of Maghavan as Amarapati (1-9)
In this same Bharata in the city Mahīmaņdala there was a king, named Amarapati, in Vāsupūjya's congregation. Sole lord of the lordless, best of kings, he was attentive to right behavior, like a good sādhu to right-conduct. He did not strike his people at all, even with a flower-stalk; he only guarded them carefully like a new flower. He, discerning, wore love and wealth like anklets, dharma like a crown, in accordance with their lower and higher natures. Arhat, god, teacher, monk, dharma, compassion---these he studied like the syllables of a charm giving the highest happiness.
One day, noble-hearted and wise, he abandoned the kingdom like a disease, after he had given fearlessness to all, and became a mendicant. He, with a victory won by the carefulnesses, devoted to protection of the controls, guarded mendicancy properly like his kingdom for a long time. He shone brilliantly from uncensurable mūlaguņas and uttaraguņas 221 like ornaments with divine jewels. He died after keeping the vows for a long time and became a chief-god, an Ahamindra, in the middle Graiveyaka.
Maghavan's parents (10-17) Now in Jambūdvipa in Bharatakşetra, there is a city Śrāvastī, most important of cities. There Samudravijaya, victorious, was king, like the ocean embodied with innumerable jewels of virtues. He did not leave the hearts of his friends because he gave joy constantly, nor of his enemies because he gave fear constantly. When he, powerful, was
921 8. See I, n. 19.
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