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30
TIRTHANKARA MAHAVIRA AND HIS SARVODAYA TIRTHA
vigorous and sincere exertion by self. In highlighting the importance of sincere self-exertion to attain the right path, a wellknown scholar, Pandit Todarmal writes:
"If any soul makes self-exertion to attain liberation as per the advice of the Jinas, he does so when his termination period is nearing its end or when the inevitable is going to happen, and when his karma has been tranquilised. So one who makes effort with his soul-force, he is sure to obtain the necessary means and ultimately to attain mokşa. When one does not use his soul force, this means that his termination time is not round the corner or that there is no inevitable involved, and his karma is yet to be tranquilised. So when the soulforce does not strive to attain moksa, one does not get the support of necessary means and hence does not attain moksa. And you say, there are many who hear the words of the Jinas, and some of them get the necessary means and some do not for attaining mokşa, what is the reason for this? The reason is that those who after listening the words can mobilise the soul force attain their goal, and those, who can-not, do not attain the goal. Words are meant for education; the rest depends on the exertion of self”1
After that he was born as king Kanakojval, a god in the seventh heaven Lantaka, as king Harisena and again as a god in the tenth heaven.
There was a country named Puskalavatı in the Purva-Videha region to the east of Mandaracala in Dhatakikhanda In that country, there was a beautiful city named Pundarikini. When he descended from the tenth heaven, he was born at Pundarikini as Priyamitra, a very powerful son unto king Sumitra by his queen Suvrata. When this powerful boy came of age, he acquired the cakraratna and became a world-monarch by conquering six segments of the world.
Emperor Priyamitra, who was the overlord over 32,000 crowned kings acquired nine treasures and fourteen gems. Emperor Priyamitra who was the master of 96 crores of villages
1 Mokşa-Mārg Prakaśak (Hindi), P, 311.