________________
ASANGMATA
161
than anyone else that he had been the cause of the poor minister's fall. But more than that he was apprehensive on his own score. His entire reputation would go to mud the moment it were known that the minister's wife was the prince's concubide Thus thoroughly shaken, the prince iled the palace at once and entered into a forest, where he saw a monk, to whom he said,
"Holy sir ! I am a culprit. Can I be absolved of my guilt ?'
The monk saw a rich soul in the prince and encouraged him to join the holy order The prince agreed, and thus started a new chapter in his life.
Once Monk Lalitanga reached a park outside the city of Khsempur. There, on the bank of the river, he started kayotsarga Now, in the same city, there lived an atheist Damed Asapgmata who had peither respect for parents, elders and superiors, nor faith in the sacred canons. By nature, he was very haughty
Now, it so happened that the river at that time was in spate, and the whole area was merged under deep water except the ground where stood the monk The news took no time to reach the city and people ilocked to see this wonder. Many touched his feet and many derived inspiration from his conduct
This roused a tremendous jealousy in the atheist Men like him are po better than flies who appreciate not the real beauty but relish sitting on the sores He at once reached the bapk of the river, tied the monk with a chain, piled logs found him and set fire to them The monk took at ease the fire-bath and the flames could do him no harm.
When, next morning, the atheist saw it with his own eyes, he was shaken to the core He realised the great power of penance and bent his head low in reverence before the monk There he stood, calm and fixed, reviewing within himself the whole situation. He was a wholly changed man Dow, changed in thought and in conduct, and the process was so quick that almost in a moment the shackles of karma were gone and he still stood, facing the monk, in possession of keyala jnana
