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THE PRINCE AND THE ELEPHANT
The subject of reincarnation comes up often in the stories and philosophy of mysticism. Reincarnation is based upon the premise of a divine Self or soul, which, owing to the kinds of acts committed, incarnates in different life-forms and states of consciousness. In this story, Guruji tells about a prince who became intrigued by yogic powers and why he was involved in illusion-seeking. Hearing about Lord Mahavira, the prince left his palace and sought the company of this great yogi.
There is a story about a prince whose father was a
1 great king and although the prince's faith was very strong, it was not effective enough to gain the self-knowledge that he sought. Thus, one day the prince, whose name was Megh Kumar, decided to go to the forest where Lord Mahavira lived, in the hope of gaining the knowledge that he wanted through the practices of the Jain monk.
When the prince entered the monastery, his mind and his heart were open to this new experience, but since he had only been a prince in this life, he was not used to the simple and austere life of the monk. The first day he spent in the forest, he did not have anyone serve him his food or bring him a change of clothes after his bath or ask him if there were anything that he desired. And at night, instead
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