________________
BHARAT AND BÄHUBALI
Idol of Bähubali at Shrävanbelgolä
At the same time that Bahubali was carrying out his intense meditation, Bharat had become the undisputed emperor, or Chakravarti, of the world. He was the first Chakravarti of the current time cycle of Avasarpini Ärä. As a ruler, he ruled equitably and in the interest of all, and the people were happy under his administration. India was recognized as Bhäratvarsha. He himself was happy in every respect and ruled for a very long time. One day, a ring slipped off his finger while he was in his dressing room. He noticed that the finger looked rather odd without the ring. His curiosity overtook him and he removed all his rings. Seeing that his fingers were no longer beautiful, he took off his crown and other ornaments decorating his body and looked in the mirror. He realized that he did not look as handsome as he used to look. This set off a train of thoughts. "I consider myself handsome and strong, but this entire look is merely due to the ornaments which do not belong to the body. The body itself is made up of blood and bones. Then why am I so attached to my body?" He thought further. “My body will not last forever and will decompose sooner or later. At
JAIN STORY BOOK
