________________
140
JAINA STORIES
Being permitted by Indra, the god came down to the world of men He created a large army and laid seize of Bhadrasingh's kingdom There was a severe battle between the two armies Bhadrasingh's men fought with the greatest bravery, but they could be no match to an army created by the power of a god Bhadrasingh was defeated, and the kingdom, the palace and the throne were now occupied by the victor The king, the queen and the prince went out to the forest
When the adversary is more powerful, one does not get peace Wherever he goes, the adversary is behind him, further and further on. The three continued their journey through wild forests, hurt by pebbles and thorns. They were now exhausted and sweating like anything. They had hunger and thirst, but had no means to satisfy them In this sort of situation, the prince was now wholly unable to move further So they sat down beneath a tree A traveller offered them a piece of meat, which the king declined saying,
"We may die of hunger, but meat is a prohibited food for us."
The traveller was insistent. So the three left the place,
Suffering is the real test of life. And suffering has a fairly long course Once it starts, it does not end soon. In many cases, it comes in more and more intensified form so that an ordinary person breaks down, or deviates from the goal King Bhadrasingh's life was on trial. They walked to some distance and sat down again The king was looking/blankly at/the future Suddenly, a cobra came out and bit the prince The prince fell on the ground in a moment The patience of the king and the queen was disturbed at this unexpected turn of event. They could no more bear it. The loss of kingdom was nothing compared to the loss of the son The queen placed the boy on her lap and washed the wound with her tears The tears in the king's eyes were, however, wholly dried up at this great loss could not relieve himself by shedding them.
He
When pain is excessive and one has no one beside him with whom he can share it, he can no longer remain steady.
