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Shri Mahavir Jain Aradhana Kendra
www.kobatirth.org
Acharya Shri Kailassagarsuri Gyanmandir
AJITASENA-VYAKARANAM
of Magadha, people of which place were rough and evidently were not in favour of Buddhism.
King Ajitasena, as we have already hinted, was a mere local chief, and as such, his name was not of sufficient importance as to find place in history. If we rely on the bare name, we may identify him with the Ajitasenarājā mentioned in the Mahāvastu (I, p. 170) who is said to have attained the ninth Bhūmi. In the Record of the Duration of the Law preached by Nandimitra one Ajita is mentioned as the fifteenth Arhat to guard the Law. His place of residence was at Grdhrakūța (Rājagļha).
I have not so far been able to trace any Tibetan version of the present ms., so the edition offered here is based on the ms. only.
Summary of the contents of the ms. Salutation to the Omniscient! Thus have I heard. Once Bhagavā was dwelling at Śrāvasti in the hermitage of Anāthapindaka with a large congregation of monks, 12500 in number, viz., Pūrņa Maitrāyaniputra, Vakkula, Śāriputra, Ājñāta Kaundinya, Mahānāma, Revata and others. Then to him, while at Jetavana, came a large number of Bodhisattvas, viz., Aniksiptadhūra, Maitreya, Avalokitesvara, Mahāsthāmaprāpta and such other 32000 Bodhisattvas, and after saluting him, they stood on one side.
After putting on his morning robe Bhagavā wanted to enter into the great city of Srāvasti for alms. He asked Ananda to fetch his alms-bowls, head-dress, etc. which were at once brought to him. Ānanda then addressed to him, with folded hands, the following verses :
यदा त्वं प्रविशसि पिण्डपातिक विमोचयेथा बहवं हि प्राणिनाम् । उत्तारयेथ बहवं हि सत्वा नरकभयजातिजरामरणभय ।।
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