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JAIN RAMAYAN
arose an intimate friendship between the two. They had been brothers in their earlier janma.
This event occurred one day. King Kulankar was proceeding to the ashram of a sage. On the way, he happened to meet a Muni by name Abhinandan who possessed Avadhijnan (or extrasensory perception). He, addressing the king, said in a serious voice;
"Oh king! You are now going to the ashram of a Yogi who has been carrying out the ritual of Panchagni. There is a collection of fire-wood in his ashram meant to be used for sacrificial burning. In that lot, there is a large log of wood, in which a snake is dwelling. That snake is none other than your late grand-father, King Kshemankar. You split that; and save the life of that snake."
The king was greatly agitated on hearing the holy words of the Muni. He, at once, hurried to the ashram. He saw there a heap of dry sticks collected to be used for the sacrifice of Panchagni. A Yogi was absorbed in carrying out the ritual of Panchagni. A large log of wood also lay there. The other Tapasis of the ashram came forward and received the king, cordially; and offered him a seat. The king took his seat; and asked the Tapasis to split the log carefully and to save the life of the snake that dwelt in it. The Tapasis were greatly astonished to hear this. At once, they carefully split the log of wood; and a large snake crept out of it.
This incident produced a deep impression on the mind of the king. He began to think. "If the great Muni had not revealed to me the secret of the presence of my grand-father in the log, in the form of a cobra, a great calamity would have occurred. It would have been burnt in the sacrificial fires. How all seeing the Muni is! What an extraordinary kind of power of seeing does the Muni possess! He possesses a divine sight. He could see the cobra in the log from there! How ignorant these Tapasis are !” The king lost all his attachments for the samsar. He developed a spirit of renunciation. He at once, went to Muni Abhinandan with the determination of receiving the Deeksha of the Samyamdharma.
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