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અધ્યાત્મતત્ત્વાલેાક.
[ ચેાથુ
death of Agnishikha who was severely beaten by her husband. The excess of violent anger caused her to be reborn as a female serpent who under the influence of uninterrupted violent anger lodged herself on the treasure-ground as a sentinel. She revengefully stung Nikriti and Sanchaya to death. They were reborn respectively as a female mangoose and a bitch and being still under the influence of cupidity did not leave the house. Sagara poisoned Kudang to death out of unquenchable greed. Kudanga was reborn as a dreadful serpent and stung Sagara to death who was reborn as a mangoose in the same house. Dungara by his attitude of pride and vanity enraged his father and the result was the exchange of angry words between them and loss of mutual respect. Shila fell down into the courtyard being bitten by the bitch, who, being previously beaten by Shila, was about to die. The whole neighbourhood was startled with tremor, horror and panic. Meanwhile a pious ascetic, possessed of the power of seeing the past and being on the rounds of alms, went to the house of Rudradeva to whom he impressively explained the evil consequences of the passions and the causes of such births of these creatures, who there upon remembered their past lives and were converted and imbued with self-denial, righteousness, and thus being spiritually enlightened, took the vow of fasting till death, and became self composed and self-centred, and eventually became denizens of heavens. Rudradeva and Dungara being touched with remorse by the words of the ascetic were also 622
