Jain Legend Vol 3

Author(s): Hastimal Maharaj, Shuganchand Jain, P S Surana
Publisher: Hastimal Maharaj Shugan C Jain P S Surana

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as he was born to a characterless mother. Under such circumstances, he cannot be forgiven.'
On having his treaty being turned down, Gr ha i started preparing for war. M lar ja attacked him. Many rulers participated in the war in favour of either ruler. In this long drawn and destructive war, a large number of armed forces of Gr ha i and his supporter were killed and the remaining forces started leaving the battle ground and take shelter at other places. In the end M lar ja won the war and he established his rule over the entire Saur ra region.
King of Kaccha Pradesa, Lak a, who was a very powerful ruler of his time and exclusive friend of Gr ha i told M lar ja to free Gr ha i from his prison. But M lar ja turned his request saying that Gr ha i is wicked, of bad conduct, cruel and ate beef. Hence he could not be freed under any circumstances.
On having his offer turned down by M lar ja, Lak a started preparing and declared war on M lar ja. Both parties fought a fierce battle. In the end M lar ja with one blow of his stick killed Lak a and razed his head to ground. At the death of Lak a, his mother cursed M lar ja that he and his heirs would suffer from leprosy in the last part of their lives. In this way, M lar ja established his rule over both Saur ra and Kaccha and the old glory of his unified P a a Empire. During the rule of M lar ja, entire Gujarat made all round progress. He made significant reduction in state taxes and improved the financial condition of the farmers. M lar ja was a faithful devotee of Siva and had feeling of equanimity towards all religions. In Anhillapura P a a, he built ‘M lar ja Vasahi’ for Jains and demonstrated his good feeling towards them. In the court of M lar ja, influential poet Some wara was a respected scholar. By having him, M lar ja demonstrated his love for literature and poetry.
M lar ja laid the foundation of such a powerful empire that his successors for several generations would not face any problem and they were fully capable of defending their motherland from external aggression also.
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