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[ The Last Teachings of Lord Mahavira
The Lord replied, “ Shakrendra, You are mistaken here, Life depends upon the age-determing Karma. Nothing can enlarge its span except the Karmas. However great a man might he, he cannot be able to increase his life even by one day. Besides, the fourfold Sangha, consisting of the monks, nuns, laymen and lay women, is about to undergo a vast upheaval towards the beginning of the fifth Ara. That is why the said planet is making its appearance on the horizon. Indra, you should remember that what is destined must be; none can prevent it.”
After thus pacifying Shakrendra, Lord Mahavira stopped all the gross activities of his mind and speech. He perfectly controlled the physical activities of his gross body and then limited himself to the activities of his minute body only. After that, the Omniscient Lord controlled the finer anxities of his mind and speech also, and reached the third stage of the highest meditation. Now the time came for controlling the activities of his fine body (Sukshma Sarira), and as soon as he was able to cntrol them, he reached the fourth stage of Shukla-Dhyana (Highest meditation ) which is named as Samuchchhinna-Kriya ( a stute in which there is ceabation of the activity of the mind, speech, and body ). He remained in this state for so long a time only as is required to pronounce the first five vowls of the Nagari alphabet After that, liberating himself from the rest of his Karmic bondage, he sprang form the ground straight like the sprout of a castorseed, rose into the sky, and reached the Nirvana-Pada which is the abode of eternal bliss and highest peace. The nine Lichchhavi Kings. the nine Malli Kings, including
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