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Bhagawan Mahavir]
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cheerfulness on his face, the brilliance of his body and the exceptional lustre mixed together, his fearlessnesss as well as his eagerness to pay for his Karmas all these go to prove, nay they cry loudly, that this great soul is none other than the last Tirthankara. "
When they saw this sight and were convinced that the sufferer was the Lord himself, the nuns immediately went to the ruler of that village and said to him, "Brother, your soldiers have committed a great fault in throwing the last Tirthankara, Lord Mahavira, the dearest son of king Siddhartha, into a well with another hermit. You should take them out at once, otherwise you would lose the future happiness of your life." The ruler began to tremble when he heard these words of the nuns. He condemned the foolish action of his soldiers as well as himself for trusting the soldiers unthoughtfully. He immediately started towards the well accompanied by his soldiers and felt very much ashamed to see the Lord in that condition. He repented for his own action and asked pardon for his faults from the Lord. He assured the Lord that he would inflict a severe punishment upon his soldiers for that mistake. He said as a ruler, it is my duty to do justice to all and to do my duty unfailingly. I can not let injustice pass unnoticed. The soldiers ought to have investigated the matter thoroughly. There can be no greater fault than to misbehave with the innnocent wayfarers, much less with great personages like yourself. I should now do what the law requires me to do. I should not fail in my duty. It never befits a responsible ruler to be influenced by selfish considerations, when the occasion required him to do his duty." When the soldiers heard these words, they began to
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