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Magadha désa. He was very sincerely devoted to śramana Bhagavāna Mahavira. King Śréņika had an excellent Mālî (gardener) named Arjuna who was protecting the king's gardens with great care.
Arjuna Mālî had a young, beautiful and charming wife named Skandaśrî The gardener had a family Yaksa (deity) named Mudgara Pânî. The temple of the yaksa was situated near Arjun's garden outside the town. Arjuna Māli was daily worshipping the yaksa respectfully with elegant flowers and other frag. rant articles and he was keeping a keen watch on his own garden.
One day, when Skandasri went to the temple with food and drink-material for her husband, and left. it there in the temple, some six persons who were concealing themselves somewhere in the temple, took the food and drink material of Arjuna Māli and began to eat. On knowing it, Arjuna Malî with a stick in his hand ran towards them with the intention of beating them. But the six persons tied him hand and foot and they went on eating. Arjuna Māli thought:-1 have been worshipping very devoutly this yakşa for a very long time but these wicked persons have cruelly harassed me in his presence and he has been silently enduring like a coward, the insults heaped on me.' On knowing the thoughts of the gardener through the medium of his Vibhanga Jnāņa (a variety of Avadhi Jnāna ), the yaksa (deity) entered the body of Arjuna Māli, broke loose all the fetters on his body and he killed the six persons and one woman who was with them, with the same stick. Arjuna Māli possessed by the cruel yakşa was daily killing six males and one female altogether seven persons. No one was able to catch him on account of the prowess of the Yaksa He became a source of terror like Yamaraja (the God of Death ) to all travellers passing by the road. No one went the way where Arjuna Māli was living, on account of fear of death Because, it is said that fear of death is more potent than any other source of danger.
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