Book Title: Bhagavana  Mahavira
Author(s): Chauthmal Maharaj
Publisher: Jainoday Pustak Prakashan Samiti Ratlam

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Page 497
________________ 464 ] A War between Kaunika and King Cheda these ideas passed in his mind one after another, the king began to look about himself. He remembered that there was a diamond in his ring. He took off the ring from his finger, extracted the diamond from it some-how and ate it before his son approached him. Immediately after he had eaten the diamond the soul of Shrenika was no more there; and when Kaunika came there he found his father sleeping on his death bed. Kaunika began to repent for his foolish action, so much so that he changed even his capital from Raja-Griha to Champa City. Kaunika than ascended to the throne of his father. He divided the whole kingdom among his brothers equally according to his promise. Kaunika had another younger brother, named Bahala-Kumara, who generally lived with him. His father had given him a very beautiful and eminent elephant named Sechanaka and a valuable necklace of 18 strings. Kaunika wanted to seize these two things from his brother. The reason was that when he became King, people used to say to him, "Your Kingdom is just like a marriage party without a bride-groom and a body without life for the elephant and the necklace, which are the beauty of your kingdom, are with Bahala-Kumara." Once his wife also heard these remarks. She, therefore, tried to incite her husband to seize them from Bahala-Kumara. Kaunika at first was not ready to seize them, but when his wife insisted, he determined to take them by force. One day, he asked his brother to give back these two things to him, but BahalaKumara replied, "My father gave them to me. He also gave several valuable things to my other ten brothers also at times. If they are all ready to give you those thinge, I shall Jain Education International * For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

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