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This pigeon has sought refuge and it is my duty to protect it.
You deserve all the praise given by Lord Indra. We are convinced that you are a brave and merciful King."
At the same time, it is also my duty to see that no one else is harmed in the process. Therefore, I will give my own flesh to the hawk."
With these words, they praised and saluted the King again and left. The whole court resounded with cheers of joy, "Long live King Megharath”. Later on, the soul of King Megharath became the sixteenth Tirthankar, Lord Shantinath.
With these words, he took out his knife and cut off a piece of flesh from his thigh and offered that to the hawk. The whole court was stunned. However, the hawk said to the King, "Oh King, I want the same amount of flesh as the pigeon."
Therefore, a weighing scale was brought to the court. The King put the pigeon on one side and a piece of his own flesh on the other. The King kept adding more and more of his flesh on the scale, but it was not enough. Finally, the King got ready to put his whole body on the scale. The court was stunned that the King was giving up his own life for an insignificant bird. Nevertheless, the King considered his duty to protect the bird to be above everything else. He sat in the scale on the side opposite the pigeon, closed his eyes, and began meditating.
This story teaches us that it is the chief duty of everyone to protect and help those who are less fortunate. A merciful person is someone who is not only influenced by seeing the misery and suffering of others, but goes a step further and attempts to alleviate the pain. He gives financial aid to those who are poor and gives food to those who are hungry and needy. A merciful person would not harm others to save his/her own life, but on the contrary, would sacrifice his/her own life to save the lives of the others.
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STORIES PRECEDING BHAGWAN MAHAVIR
Indian tradition sees God in Guru, as someone who can lead us from darkness
to Divine light. While a teacher makes us learn, a Guru helps us to transform and become. Complete surrender to God
and Guru is the greatest preparation
for a disciple.
As soon as the King began meditating, the pigeon and the hawk assumed their original divine forms. Both demi gods bowed to the King and said, “Oh great King! You are
blessed
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