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Lanka: Its Decline and Rise
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and engage myself in spiritual contemplation retiring from active life.”
In consequence, Indra became the king of Ratanupur.
As soon as Indra acceded to the throne, he took a heroic decision to make his kingdom an empire; and to perpetuate the name and fame of his ancestors. He proclaimed four Vidyadhar kings as the heads of the four directions of his kingdom and to act as defenders of the four directions. - He divided his army into seven regiments and placed
them under the command of seven capable commanders. He established three executive assemblies. He invented a tremendously destructive weapon called
"Vajra”. - He made a mighty elephant the Iravat (the elephant of
Devendra). He created “Rambha” and “Urvasi" and made them his court-dancers. He appointed "Brihaspati” his chief minister. He appointed a Vidyadhar, by name Naigameshi, who was a heroic warrior, the supreme commander of his forces. In other words, he organized his court and army in imitation of Devendra's heavenly court and army, by naming Vidyadhars after the heavenly beings and by appointing them to the various posts; and thus laid the foundation of an excellent Vidyadhar tradition; and impelled all his subjects to honour him as Davendra. He was extremely proud of his intellectual attainments, his artistic accomplishments, his tremendous heroism
and his bewildering beauty of appearance. But this is the Samsar. Here no one's pride remains intact and unshaken. Here, the efficacy of Karmas bestows on Jivas extraordinary prosperity and incomparable grandeur; but at the same time it can also inspire in Jivas the desire to renounce them. If the Jiva grows arrogant over the prosperity and grandeur thus attained; and develops false pride; and if he tries to
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