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266 ][ Lord Mahavira practises penances in Uttara-Vachala
As soon as the idea of Revenge occurred to him, god sudrishta rushed towards the boat, and gave out a loud roar which terrified all except the Lord. Therefore, in great rage, he said to him, " Now, you cannot escape alive from my grip. You shall be caught in my storm and will give up your ghost. Open your account-book of the Karmas of previous lives, and pay me back my money with interest which you owe to me. Without paying your debt you cannot move from this place. You had killed me for; no fault of mine; now, to atone for that you shall have to deliver your life as well as the life of all those who are sitting here with you!"
With these words, the god set blow a storm upon the whole company. The water of the Ganges rose to an enormous height, and carried away with it all the trees and bushes growing near the bank. The wonderful sound of the rising and falling of the waves frightened all passengers; but Lord Mahavira was undisturbed in his mind all along. Only at times, there could be seen the feelings of restlessness and spiritual lustre strangely mixed together in him. This indicated that he was aggrieved to see his companions in panic and trouble. Those, who were sitting beside him, were well aware of this condition of the Lord, but they had not the courage enough to ask anything from him. It is rightly said that the troubles and sorrows of others are clearly reflected in the pure and tender and mirror-like hearts of great souls. They risk their own lives in order to save other people from danger. By this time the boat began to rise and fall with the waves. The boatman tried his best to control it, but all his efforts proved fruitless before the power of the god. He was very much dejected and left the
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