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Shri Mahavir Jain Aradhana Kendra
www.kobatirth.org
Acharya Shri Kailassagarsuri Gyanmandir
34
At the age of sor 7 years or at the age of 12 years) the prince enquired of his mother about his father and on learning the fact from her he took the vow of celebacy and bore matted hair on his head along with 500 boys of the warrior clan.
Meanwhile the king expired ard he was enthroped alter great persistence. The minister, however, avoided seeing his face by sitting behinsl a curtain.
Now at the age of 32 the king was fascinated by a nice song sing by a toaicer of the Malarga class. Both exchanged gesticulations indicative of the Tendezvous. The minister missioned a man to observe secretly what liappened between then. The girl conversed with the king and great joy prevailed. Feeling ashamed of having been observed by the spy in that lorripilated condition, the king became ready to burn himself alive. The minister got prepared a red-hot iron-doll of the dimensions of a virgin of 16 years, wlich the king was about to embrace when, all of a sudden, he was caught by the minister who then saw his face for Die first time,
In course of time this king Ratnapuñja arrived once at Srimalapura, where, while going to the park for spring-sports, he beheld coming in front of him a pregnant lady carrying in her hands an unbroken cocoanutfruit (or unbroken rice grains and a cocoaaut-fruit ) upon which was sitting a spotted owlet making an indistinct suund. An astrologer from the Naruland explained the significance of the omen thus:
"The next morning the woman will deliver a son who will is:cote the king of the country."
She was furthwith caught by policemen at the king's command and was taken to a forest for being burried alive, where, out of terror, she delivered a son whom she placed among the young onts of a doe, whereafter slıc was burried in the ground.
T'he doe allowed the human babe to suck her breasts as did her own offsprings. The mint started striking new coins with the impression of a deer. This automatic change in the currency-dye was reported to the king, who questioned the police-men. The latter showed to the fourner the exact place where the woman was burried. The child also was seen there with milk dropping down in his mouth from the roots shooting forth from the branches of a lig-Tree on the bank of a lake,
Thereafter the child was left across the city.gates but was covered over by the chief royal elephant, was protected by the chief royal steed, by the cow's and even by the bull,
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