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Shri Mahavir Jain Aradhana Kendra
www.kobatirth.org
Acharya Shri Kailassagarsuri Gyanmandir
AJITASENA-VYAKARAŅAM Jetavana in his bejewelled chariot, Sākyamuni collected his monks and asked them to enter into the meditation which would make them appear as a garland of flames (jvālāmālamnāma bodhisattvasamādhi). The king seeing this garland of fames asked Nandimitra what it meant. Nandimitra told him that it was there were Sākyamuni Tathāgata lived and preached his doctrines, and practised meditation. The king then alighted from the chariot with his son and approached Bhagavā, around whose body he saw a golden Alame two cubits long moving about. After ascertaining who sākyamuni was, the king fell at his feet. He was raised by the outstretched hands of Sākyamuni with the words, “O king, you have for innumerablc kalpas seen this body; what is your object in falling at my feet”? The king saluted him uttering in verses :
"'I bow down my head to the leader of the world, endowed with the excellent signs, having long arms and golden body—one who saves beings from old age and disease, and stops the passage of beings into hell.”
He then expressed his desire to retire from the world. At this Bhagavā was exceedingly pleased and said that his conversion would be a great gain to the religion as the religion would spread widely (vaistārikam). He asked the king to go back to his kingdom and promised to go there after seven days. The king greatly delighted returned to his capital preceded by his spiritual guide (kalyānamitra). He then ordered his ministers to have the streets cleansed, asked the people to hoist flags in their houses and put bejewelled pitchers of water at the door of every house. When all these were done, just on the seventh day, the Tathāgata with a large number of monks headed by Sāriputra, Maudgalyāyana, Ānanda, Pūrņa Maitrāyaniputra reached the capital. The king Ajitasena, preceded by his spiritual guide, received Bhagavā with a basket of flowers and sprinkled the flowers on him, and prayed that by that meritorious
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