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## The 57th Chapter
This is the story of how this lake is protected. The young prince asked the celestial being, "Why do you protect this lake?" The celestial being, with a clear mind, replied, "Listen, O noble one, I will tell you my story. In a previous life, I was the son of Pushpadanta, a wealthy garland maker, and his wife Kusuma-shri, in the city of Rajapura. In the same city, Chandrabha, the son of Nandini, the wife of Dhanadatta, was born. He was my friend. One day, you explained the nature of Dharma to him. Hearing that, my heart also became filled with love for Dharma.
I renounced alcohol, meat, and other such things. As a result, after death, I became this celestial being. Once, I saw two Charana monks in the Siddhakoota Jinalaya. I approached them with great humility. Hearing about our past lives and the connection between us, I have been protecting this lake from others to see you. I will now tell you the story of our connection, as revealed by divine knowledge.
In the Dhaataki-khand island, in the eastern part of the Meru, in the eastern Videha region, there is a country called Pushkalavati. In its city of Pundarikin, King Jayandhara ruled. He had a son named Jayadratha, born to his queen Jayavati. One day, Jayadratha went to the beautiful forest called Manohara to play. There, he saw a young swan by the lake. He was fascinated by it and had his clever servants bring it to him. He then started taking care of it. Seeing this, the swan's parents, filled with sorrow, cried out in the sky. Hearing their cries, one of your servants, with a bow drawn to his ear, shot an arrow and killed the swan's father. It is right, for what is there that is not permissible for wicked people?
Seeing this, Jayadratha's mother's heart was filled with compassion. She asked, "What is this?" After learning the whole story from the servant, she became angry at the servant who had killed the swan's father. She scolded you, saying, "O son, this is not right for you. Quickly reunite this swan with its mother." In response, you said, "I did this out of ignorance." Thus, with a heavy heart, you condemned yourself for your actions.