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I AM MAHAVIRA
On one earlier occasion, I had to subjugate the demigod Bibhalaka. The peripatetic goddess Kataputanā also tried to deviate me from my spiritual path without any success. In the dead end of
the night in the temple of demi-god, I saw ten dreams. Utpala - a
noted prognostician of the village Asthikgrāma, interpreted them. He conveyed to me that these dreams indicated that I would
become a ford-builder or Tirtharkara later and attain salvation.
Once, I was going towards Śvetāmbī. Some one informed me that
there lives a fierce serpent named Candakauśika in the southern way. However, I decided to go that way only, I thought, "Let my principle of non-violence be on test to day". I saw that the serpent
saw me in seated posture and hissed this way and that way towards me. However, I remained steady only. Sometimes later, the serpent
left the place. I realized that the serpents etc. create troubles only to
the violent people. They are worshippers of the non-violent ones.
Fig. 9- Mahāvīra and the fierce serpent- Candakausika.
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