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future, I promise, I shall never be mean like this with any one".
Mahavira was balanced in his mind. He was neither bothered about his past meanness, nor did he rejoice at his
hise to improve in future. Sangama returned to his abode in heaven. The Indra became much displeased with him, rebuked him severely and turned him out from heaven. After being exiled, Sang ama came to the Summit of Mount Meru with his wife and settled there.
The story of the God Māra
When the Buddha made a firm determination for the attainment of Bodhi, and sat down for the purpose, Mara thought as follows:
"The prince wants to get out from my authority; but I won't let this happen."
So Mára repaired to his army camp, equipped all his soldiers for an onslaught and set forth to launch an attack on the Buddha. It was a vast army which covered a very wide expanse and altitude of many yojanas. Māra himself took weapons in his one thousand hands and started on the back of an elephant called Girime khala, His soldiers were not only equipped with arms, they were also diversely painted so that they looked very dreadful as they marched. As Māra and his entire entourage came near the bodhialtar, one by one, all his soldiers dropped out. They could not stare at the unusual brilliance of the Buddha, Māra became conscious of his own limitation, and while looking for an alternative route to divert his army, he decided as follows:
"There is no one equal to the Buddha in power, I can never win a victory over him by launching an attack from the front; so I must launch my attack from the rear."
So he directed his army to the Buddha's rear. The Buddha saw that the army of Marā was advancing on him from the north only; all other directions were perfectly free. Thought he,
