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Shri Mahavir Jain Aradhana Kendra
www.kobatirth.org
Acharya Shri Kailassagarsuri Gyanmandir
her palace and remarked: "Formerly he had a beautiful body; but now it has become dried like a stick on account of the penances (Tapasya) he performed”.
Hearing this, the king suspected that the ascetic must be her former lover. The king ordered his men to peel off the skin of the ascetic and to bring it. The soldiers went to carry out this command. The task of removing the ascetic's skin was given to a butcher. The ascetic surrendered his body to the butcher and his soul to Arihanth (God). He said tenderly to the butcher, "Kindly take care to see that your hands are not hurt by my bones when you remove my skin":
Since the ascetic bore with this mortifying ordeal without hatred and with neutrality (AETTE4 ) his Karmas were washed away; and he attained keval jnan (the highest knowledge), salvation and everlasting felicity.
A kite took up the blood-covered kerchief (Muhapaththi) of the ascetic and flew away but finding nothing that could be eaten in it, the kite dropped it from its beak. The cloth fell near the sister who was at the window. Seeing the horrible object, she swooned. When the king came to know the truth he repented having given that senseless order. At the end both the king and the queen renounced the world
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