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LVII
DASARATH'S RENUNCIATION
“Oh Lord of compassion ! Be so gracious as to make me blessed by telling me the story of my earlier lives.” King Dasarath entreated the great Muni Satyabhuti. Chandragati, the Vidyadhar King had already become a muni and Bhamandal had returned to Ratanupur with the members of the Royal Family. King Janak and Queen Videha were staying there because of the insistence of the King of Ayodhya. Mahatma Satyabhuti also was staying there. Every day a large number of people used to gather to hear his discourses.
When one day, Dasarath expressed his desire to know the story of his previous lives, the great Muni Satyabhuti looked into the darkness of the past with the light of his Avadhijnan (extrasensory perception) which at once brightened the past and made it clear.
"Oh King! Since you want to know the story of your poorvajanmas; I will begin your story with the city of Sonapur. It is not possible to take up the story of your countless janmas before that point.
There lived a merchant in Sonapur. His name was Bhavan and he was noble in his profession. Dipika was his wife. They had a daughter by name Upasthi. In that janma you were that girl, Upasthi.
When Upasthi reached the proper age, she became a bitter opponent of Sadhus. When she saw a Sadhu, anger arose in her heart like fire. She could not shake off this attitude of hers throughout her life. Throughout her life, she hated sadhus and died. Then she was born as an animal, a bird, a fly and a water
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