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ABHAYKUMÄR AND THIEF ROHINEYA
Meanwhile, Rohineya was looking around. He remembered what he had heard from Lord Mahävir's sermon about heavenly beings when he stepped on the thorn. He observed the movements of heavenly beings in front of him. He noticed that their feet were touching the ground, their bodies had shadows, and their eyes were blinking like human beings. He immediately figured out that this heaven was not real and that it was only an illusion created by Abhaykumar to gain evidence of his burglaries.
He therefore replied that in the previous life he gave donations to worthy causes, constructed temples, went on pilgrimages to holy places, and rendered service to deserving people. The person took note of his statement and asked him to narrate any wrong deeds that he might have indulged in. Rohineya said that he had scrupulously
Make-believe heaven created by Abhaykumär
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avoided misdeeds and therefore he was born in heaven. Abhaykumar's plan did not work and Rohineya was set free as being the innocent farmer that he pretended to be.
JAIN STORY BOOK
Rohineya was released, but he constantly thought about what had happened. He realized that what he had accidentally heard from Lord Mahävir had saved his life. Then how could his father be right in the advice that he had given? Lord Mahävir must be a very great entity. "If those words, which were accidentally heard, were so helpful, imagine how helpful his teachings would be?" he asked himself. Had he wasted his years avoiding the sermons of the Mahävir swämi? After pondering at length, he decided to go to Lord Mahävir and serve at his feet. He went to the assembly and humbly requested the lord to accept him as his disciple. He also requested to become a monk. Mahävir swami asked him to disclose his real identity and confess all of his past sins to the King before renouncing his worldly life.
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