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I AM MAHAVIRA
32
THE MANGO TREE
The king Śreņika was the ruler of Magadha (Bihar in India). He lived in the city of Rājagțha. Celanā was his chief queen. He was externed by his father in his early age. He went to the southern part. It is later that he became the king of Magadha. He had indifference towards the monks. Once, he teased a monk. When his chief queen Celanā learnt about it, she ran to serve the monk. However, she realized that Śreņika was highly impressed by the patience and tolerance of the monk.
While wandering during these days, I reached the mountain of Vipulācala (near Rājagțha). The king Śreņika came to pay his visit to me along with his paraphernalia. Later, he came to me every time I came here. He asked so many questions that nobody has asked me. I tried well to answer them. He was highly impressed by these answers. A good number of his sons also got
initiated under me.
One day, Śreņika asked me, "O Lord, why have you
become a monk in the golden period of your life-youth.?"
I told him. "The root of all evils in the world is the lust and
desires. The women and wealth often lead to wars. The attachment
to them is stronger than the iron chain. They beget selfishness and
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