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Stories After Bhagwan Mahavir
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however, made sure that the monks received alms. At that time, there was a poor man who could hardly get any food & was starving. He noticed that the monks were getting enough food even during the severe famine. Therefore, he requested the Acharya to give him some food. Foreseeing that the man had great potential to be a great Jain legend in the next birth, the Acharya told him that he could get food if he became a monk.
The
gladly
agreed.
Accordingly, he was initiated & thereby received enough food to eat. Since he had been starving for many days, he ate too much. Consequently, he had severe stomach pains, which he endured patiently while cursing himself for eating too much. Other monks served him in all possible ways, but the pain did not subside. On the contrary, it continued to become worse & the newly initiated monk died of the pain that very night. Due to his adopting the restraints of monkhood & bearing the pain quietly, he was reborn as the grandson of the great King Ashok.
man
The Acharya narrated the entire episode to him. Samprati was glad to hear that. He realized the benefits of adopting Jainism even for a short while. He adopted it as his faith & formally accepted the Acharya as his Guru. After he became a king, he offered his kingdom to the Guru because it was obtained on account of his benevolence. The Acharya, however, declined to accept it & said that as a Jain monk he did not. want to possess anything. He pointed out that Samprati should try his best to promote & encourage Jainism in his kingdom & beyond.
Samprati accepted the advice. He became a devout Jain & followed Jain principles. He was a brave king & expanded his kingdom considerably in the South up to the Vindhya Mountains, & in the West to the Arabian Sea. He constructed many Jain temples, not only
