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PHILOSOPHY OF SOUL
247
The Lord replied, “He would have been hurled down to the seventh hell-region.” The king was much astonished to hear this reply from the Lord. He thought, “How would the sage attain to hell and that sage was on the contrary engaged in meditation. Perhaps the Lord might have misunderstood me." He asked the Lord again, “Oh Lord, if the sage Prasannachandra leaves this body just now, then what state be would attain to, after death" ?
The Lord replied, "He would be a god in Sarvarthasidha, heavenly region”.
The king was much surprised at this reply. He thought, “The Lord said just before sometime that he could attain to the seventh hell and now he says that the sage would be a god.” The king was very much perplexed. Then the drums were sounded in the sky and the cries of 'victory' were proclaimed. The king asked the Lord, “What are these sounds about ?” The Lord said, “Oh king the sage Prasannachandra has acquired omniscience. So the gods beat the drums and proclaimed 'Victory'.”
The king was extremely surprised to learn all these strange incidents. So he requested the Lord to explain all those miraculous incidents.
Thereupon the Lord said, “Oh king, when you were proceeding this way, two soldiers leading your procession diverted the mind of the monk Prasannachandra by their talks. Then the monk thought that his ministers turned out faithless and they would kill his son. He was much inflamed with rage and he lost mental equanimity. He mentally started fighting against his ministers. He discharged missiles one after the other against his ministers very violently. Soon his missiles were exhausted and his foes were destroyed except one. So he thought of throwing his steel helmet against him and destroy him. When he reflected thus, you bowed down to him, king! I therefore replied that he would attain to the 7th hell.
Thereafter, when the sage placed his hand on his head for the steel helmet he found his head with hairs plucked and his anger was calmed down immediately. He thought that he was initiated into the vow of mental equanimity and of non-violence to any living being mentally, verbally, and physically. He deeply re
