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14
MAHÁPURANA
he failed. Now just about this time, sixty thousand sons of Sagara approached their father and asked him to give some work of command as they were tired of being id.le Sagara at first told them that there was nothing that was left for them to do as his cakra had already achieved everything for them. His sons however insisted and then Sagara asked them to go to Mandara mountain and make some arrangement for the protection of the temples of the twenty-four Jinas built by Bharata the first Cakravartin. The sixty thousand sons of Sagara then started on their mission, dug up a huge ditch round Mandara and filled it with waters of the Ganges which flowed into the Nagaloka. This time Maniketu thought of enlighting Sagara by a new method. He became a big snake, looked at the sons of Sagara with anger, and burned them to ashes. Only two, Bhīma and Bhagirathi, escaped alive. Sagara was informed of this disaster, was advised by a Brahmin on the fickleness of samsăra. Following his advice, Sagara placed his son Bhagirathi on the throne, and with his son Bhima, became a monk. Maņiketu was delighted to see this and showed to Sagara how he wrought about by his magic the death of his sons. All the sons were then brought to life, but they also followed their father by becoming monks. Bhagirathi also, in due course, became a monk and attained emancipation.
XL, XLI, XLII, XLIII, and XLIV. For the lives of Sambhava, Abhinandana, Sumati, Padmaprabha and Supāıśva, see the Tables.
XLV. This samdhi describes the six previous births of Candraprabha the eighth Tírthamkara. In the earliest of these births, the soul of Candraprabha was born Śrišarman or Srivarman, son of king Śrīşena and queen Śrīkāntă of Sripura in the Sugandha country of Western Videha, Leading a pious life he was next born as a god named Sridhara. In the next life he was born as a son named Ajitasena to king Ajitamjaya and queen Ajitasenā of Ayodhya in the Alaka country. This Ajitasena became a cakravartin, led a pious life, and was next born as the lord of the Acyuta heaven. After this he was born as Padmanabha or Padmaprabha, son of Kanakaprabha and Kanakamala of the town Vastusamcaya in the Mangalavati region, In his next birth he was born as Ahamindra in the Vaijayanta heaven.
XLVI. For the life of Candraprabha as a Tirthamkara see the Tables. XLVII. For the life of Suvidhi or Puşpadanta see the Tables.
XLVIII. Sitala the tenth Tirthamkara was in his previous life king Pfthvipala of Susīmā. His wife, Vasantalakşmi by name, died in the prime of youth, and the king, reflecting on her death, renounced the worldly life. In his next birth he was born as a god in the Arupa heaven. In his next birth he was born as a son named Sitala to king Drdharatha and queen Sunandă of the town of Rajabhadra or Bhadrilapura. On seeing a bee dead in the lotus flower, he formed a disgust for the worldly life, renounced it, and going through the usual course of a Tirthamkara, attained emancipation. After his nirvana Jainism fell on bad days for want of persons preaching and practising it. There was at this time a king called Megharatha at Bhadrilapura. He wanted to spend his wealth in making gifts to suitable persons and asked the advice of his minister what type of gift was the best gift. His minister mentioned Sastradana to be the best form. The king however, did not like this advice, and asked a Brahmin named Mundaśalāyana who told the king that he
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