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## 198
## The Scattering of the Eager Refusal
While wandering in the forest, the Lord, even though affected by the curse, did not intend to cause any harm, as if made of stone. ||21||
The unbearable hardships of hunger, thirst, and scorching heat, are indeed the helpers of the father, the destroyer of karma. ||22||
If you do not believe my words, you will believe them nonetheless. The father will not be long in coming, with the news of the festival of the Kevala. ||23||
Meanwhile, the king, with a cane in his hand, was approached by two men named Yamaka and Shamaka. ||24||
Prostrating himself, Yamaka informed the Lord of Bharata: "By good fortune, today you are blessed with this auspicious news." ||25||
"In the ancient city of Purimatala, in the forest of Shakatana, the Kevala was born at the beginning of the age." ||26||
Prostrating himself, Shamaka also announced in a loud voice: "Now, in the armory, the jewel of the wheel has been born." ||27||
The king pondered for a moment, "To whom should I offer the first worship of this newly born Kevala, who is also the wheel?" ||28||
"Where is the giver of universal peace, and where is the wheel, the destroyer of life?" Reflecting thus, he decided to worship his own family first. ||29||
After giving them appropriate and abundant gifts, the king dismissed them and addressed Marudevi: "O Goddess, you are always the embodiment of compassion. My son is a solitary seeker of alms, and he is the object of my sorrow." ||30||
"He who is the lord of the three worlds, is now the son of his own son. See his prosperity," he said, and made her mount the elephant. ||31||
Adorned with gold, diamonds, and rubies, with horses, elephants, chariots, and statues of beauty, he set out. ||33||
With armies, and with arches formed by the masses of jewels and ornaments, the king, even from a distance, saw the jeweled banner ahead. ||34||
He then addressed Marudevi: "O Goddess, the Lord's procession is made by the gods. It is heard that the gods are celebrating the birth of the Lord's lotus feet." ||35||
"The deep, sweet, divine sound of the drums, like a bard's music, fills the heart with joy." ||37||
"The sound of the anklets of the celestial beings, who are worshipping the Lord's lotus feet, is like the sound of a forest of trees, and it is a guest in our ears." ||38||
"The roar of the celestial beings, who are overjoyed at the sight of the Lord, is like the thunder of the clouds." ||39||
"This is the song of the Gandharvas, purified by the nectar of the Lord's words. Today, we will enjoy the nectar of the Lord's words, like the nectar of flowers." ||40||
Hearing this, Marudevi was overwhelmed with joy, and her eyes, like blue lotuses, were filled with tears of happiness. ||41||
She saw the fortune of the Tirthankara, which was overflowing with the love of her son. Seeing this, she became absorbed in it. ||42||
She ascended the chariot, and in an unprecedented sequence of actions, her eight karmas were destroyed, and she attained the knowledge of the Kevala. ||43||
Riding on the back of an elephant, Marudevi, the queen, attained the