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Bhagawan Mahavir ]
[ 129
CHAKRAVARTI POTTILA. After he had undergone all the inflictions and physical torture of the seventh Hell, Triprishta, in his twenty-first birth took the body of a lion. This birth was also the result of his evil deeds. In this birth also he suffered very many infernal tortures and perpetrated many horrible crimes. Consequently he was again born in the first Hell, where he had to pass through various kinds of bodily tortures for a long time. This was the twenty second birth of the would-be Lord Mahavira. At the end of the abominable life the soul again descended to the world of men.
At that time king Dhananjaya reigned in Muka, in the Aparavideha Conntry. His queen Dharini give birth to the Jiva of Lord Mahavira. When the child was in womb she saw fourteen auspicious dreams. The astrologers predicted the birth of a Chakravarti to the queen. When a child was born, he was found to possess many good and lucky marks on his body. The parent gave him the name of 'Pottila'.* His childhood passed in an sphere of love and affection. The extreme care and nursing of the parents helped to improve the beauty and health of the child so much that he had all the appearances of a youth while he was still a boy. His father finding him fit placed the burden of royal duties upon his shouldars, and began to lead a religious and peaceful life. Very soon after this, he began to realise the unsubstentiality and transitoriness of this world. He therefore, accepted consecration and devoted the remainder of his life to spiritual culture. Pottila now took the reins of Government in his
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* Many writers have called him "Priagamitra but in Samvayang Scripture, he has been named Pottila."
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