________________
him. Then he threw him into the big cauldron of boiling oil. Thus a great commander was brutally killed.
Murder of Jain c rya r R macandra by Ajaya Deva
Ajaya Deva, the ruler of Gurjara kingdom was possessed by the evil spirit of treacherous murder. He was not satisfied murdering Kapardi, the minister. He summoned c rya R macandra S ri, the successor-pontiff of crya Hemacandra, author of 100 Prabandhas and an eminent scholar. He wanted to kill the c rya by throwing him on the big burning copper plate. So he said to him, “Monk! Go and stand on the copper plate.”
Looking at the massive copper plate which was burning like coal with flames beneath it, the c rya thought, “I took up the five great vows. I took the vow not to harm even the subtlest beings from among the six types of living beings. Being a practitioner of the five great vows, why should I harm the beings in the fire as long as I live?”
He thought for a moment and pulled tongue out and held it with left hand and with right palm struck heavily on the chin. His tongue got cut. He fell down to the ground and departed for heavenly abode.
Ajaya Deva prepared to kill mrabha a
mrabha a, commander and a peerless warrior of his times was the son of the Late Udayana, the famous Prime Minister of Gurjara Kingdom.
mrabha a won many battles thereby expanding the territories and enriching the treasury. His devotion towards Jainism was zealous and praiseworthy. He was loved and respected by both c rya Hemacandra S ri and Kum rap la. Hence Ajaya Deva was always displeased with him.
One day on the advice of his sycophants, Ajaya Deva summoned
mrabha a to the court. The sycophants asked him to offer salutations to King Ajaya Deva.
Self-respecting mrabha a replied at once, “This mrabha a Deva will pay obeisance only to the renouncing Lord Mah v ra and as a Guru to
146
